A National Mission to Protect Firefighters Through Innovation, Exposure Science, and Preventive Wellness
Functional medicine, diagnostic imaging, and bioenergy therapies converge to form a transformative model for firefighter health, safety, and recovery.
6-18-2025 - In preparation for the highly anticipated 2025 F.A.C.E.S. National Summit, a landmark planning meeting convened three of the movement’s foremost leaders in firefighter health innovation: Dr. Robert Bard, pioneering cancer radiologist and F.A.C.E.S. medical director; Dr. Leslie Valle Montoya, Biological Medicine and clinical advisor; and Dr. Lennard Goetze, president of F.A.C.E.S. and long-time responder health advocate. This strategic session, held in Santa Barbara, California, marked the beginning of the national rollout plan for the September 10th summit—envisioned as the most comprehensive forum to date focused on firefighter exposure science, prevention, early detection, and regenerative care.
Together, the trio explored and outlined key goals for the event: finalizing a national panel of experts, defining the summit’s clinical and policy blueprint, and assembling a curated “who’s who” of fire service leadership committed to championing occupational health reform. Their collaboration reflects a bold commitment to elevate firefighter wellness from a departmental concern to a national priority—and to design a future where cancer, chronic illness, and toxic exposure no longer define the cost of duty.
A Revolution in Firefighter Diagnostics and Imaging
Dr. Robert Bard, a nationally recognized cancer radiologist and medical director of F.A.C.E.S., brings decades of experience from working with 9/11 first responders. His clinical contributions have shaped a new standard of care that includes 3D ultrasound imaging for the early detection of prostate, breast, and soft tissue cancers. “Low-grade cancers from toxic exposure often go undetected or are mismanaged,” Dr. Bard explained. “With high-resolution ultrasound, we identify tumors before they become aggressive, avoiding unnecessary biopsies or outdated MRIs. Imaging is fast, accurate, and noninvasive—it’s how we keep firefighters on the job, not sidelined by delayed diagnosis.”
He emphasized the functional advantage of real-time diagnostics. “We can scan lungs, lymph nodes, bladder, and soft tissue in minutes. If a firefighter has a lump, we know within seconds if it’s benign or needs further attention. That’s the level of confidence and performance our fire service deserves.”
Dr. Bard and Dr. Goetze are both passionate about bringing visibility to toxic exposure syndromes, often overlooked in standard firefighter care. Beyond airborne contaminants, the skin itself absorbs environmental toxins—and traditional blood tests may not reveal the whole story.
“We now scan the dermis to detect chemical residues and fibrosis from toxin exposure,” said Dr. Bard. “We can measure how toxins are changing the skin tissue itself—an area that’s been largely ignored in firefighter health assessments.” Dr. Goetze, F.A.C.E.S. president and a ground zero responder, added: “Firefighters are walking into carcinogenic environments every day. From PVC-based fires to modern synthetic compounds, we know the long-term impact on the body is cumulative. That’s why our focus includes both predisposition testing and exposure tracking—because we’re not just treating disease, we’re preventing it.”
The Hidden Epidemic: Rare Cancers and Under-Recognized Risks
As firefighter health studies continue to evolve, a troubling trend is emerging: a rise in rare and previously undocumented cancers among first responders. Beyond the more widely known cases of lung, skin, and prostate cancer, physicians are now seeing increased diagnoses of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, testicular cancer, thyroid cancer, and even pancreatic malignancies—diseases once considered anomalies in the firefighter population.
“We’re entering a new era of exposure medicine,” said Dr. Bard. “With the complexity of modern synthetic fires and environmental toxins, we’re seeing cancer patterns that weren’t common a decade ago. Some of these are showing up earlier, more aggressively, and in firefighters with no other risk factors.” One of the most under-discussed conditions, however, is male breast cancer. Long dismissed or overlooked due to social stigma and lack of awareness, it is now surfacing as a critical concern in the fire service. Dr. Goetze, who has been tracking the data across departments nationwide, emphasized the significance: “We’ve confirmed over 130 cases of male breast cancer among U.S. firefighters—and those are just the ones reported. Many stay silent out of fear or embarrassment. But this is not rare anymore. It’s real, and it’s growing.”
F.A.C.E.S. is actively advocating for ultrasound as a front-line screening tool for both men and women in high-risk occupations. “Ultrasound is safe, noninvasive, and highly accurate,” Dr. Bard added. “Entire countries like Japan and China have made it standard practice. The U.S. fire service deserves the same.” This new wave of cancer awareness underscores the urgency of F.A.C.E.S.’ mission—not only to detect disease earlier, but to normalize conversations around occupational health risks that have gone unspoken for far too long.
F.A.C.E.S. doesn’t stop at diagnostics. It champions a regenerative, multi-modality approach that includes functional medicine, detoxification strategies, and wellness technologies that support healing from the inside out. Dr. Leslie Valle Montoya, recently appointed F.A.C.E.S. Clinical Wellness Advisor, operates a cutting-edge facility in Santa Barbara, where she combines bioenergetic therapy, near-infrared sauna, dermal detox scanning, and naturopathic protocols to support firefighter recovery.
“This isn’t experimental,” Dr. Valle said. “Everything we do is backed by science. I don’t just aim to treat symptoms—I aim to restore the body’s healing potential. Whether it's addressing chronic exposure, rebuilding resilience, or accelerating tissue recovery, we create tailored protocols that meet firefighters where they are.”
Dr. Goetze noted, “When Dr. Leslie showed us her clinic, we were blown away by her arsenal of regenerative tools. We don’t need to reinvent medicine—we need to reconnect with what truly works. And Leslie’s clinic shows that future today.”
Language Matters: A Strategy for Policy and Acceptance
Part of the F.A.C.E.S. strategy involves careful public messaging to bridge the gap between progressive medicine and institutional acceptance. Dr. Goetze, who works closely with state legislators and fire administrators, highlighted this challenge: “We don’t say ‘treatment’—we say mitigation. We don’t say ‘cure’—we talk about maintenance. Those words are key in getting programs funded, accepted, and protected from unnecessary scrutiny.”
He added, “Our job is to help fire chiefs and safety officers build internal protocols that make sense, save money, and reduce sick leave. If we show results, the conversation changes from ‘What are you doing?’ to ‘How can we do that too?’”
Innovation in Action: The Road Ahead for the national health resources for fire service
The team at F.A.C.E.S. is actively working to launch pilot partnerships with fire departments across the U.S., offering everything from on-site evaluations and second-opinion reviews to education, diagnostics, and clinical recovery protocols.
Dr. Bard closed the conversation with a vision for systemic change: “Our mission is to offer firefighters what they’ve never truly had—a safety net for their own health. The very people who run into danger deserve technologies that work, doctors who understand them, and protocols that reflect what they actually face on the job.”
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EPILOGUE
Every Second Counts:
Why Early Detection in
Firefighters Matters"
Dr.
Angela Mazza, Endocrinologist and Firefighter Health Advocate
In several of my firefighter patients, we’ve identified abnormal thyroid function, nodular growths, and even early-stage thyroid cancer. Others present with testosterone irregularities, adrenal fatigue, or complex inflammatory syndromes—conditions that, when investigated more deeply, reveal links to occupational exposures and chronic physiological stress. These are not isolated cases; they form a recognizable pattern.
Firefighters are on the frontlines not only of emergencies, but of chemical and environmental trauma—exposures that directly affect the endocrine system. Persistent contact with combustion byproducts, flame retardants, and heavy metals has a cumulative effect, disrupting metabolic regulation and increasing the risk of malignancy, especially in hormone-sensitive tissues like the thyroid, breast, and prostate.
What concerns me most is the delayed response in traditional care. We often wait too long to screen or intervene. That’s why I’m a firm believer in early detection, continuous monitoring, and integrative support. Tools like functional imaging, advanced lab diagnostics, and genomics should be routine—not rare—in firefighter healthcare. Our firefighters risk everything to protect our communities. It’s time we protect them with the same urgency—by diagnosing sooner, treating smarter, and never ignoring the biological signals their bodies are giving us.
