A New Era of Firefighter Health, Prevention, and Advocacy
The 2025 Leadership Board meeting of F.A.C.E.S. (Firefighters Against Cancers and Exposures) marked an important milestone in the organization’s journey. What began years ago as a coalition of advocates and survivors has grown into a nationally recognized leadership body committed to firefighter wellness, prevention, and early detection. The meeting—attended by six of the nine board members—demonstrated both continuity and renewal, as seasoned veterans and new voices shaped the future of F.A.C.E.S.
Lennard Goetze, President of F.A.C.E.S. and moderator of the meeting, opened with reflections on the organization’s expanding scope. Once centered on cancer prevention, F.A.C.E.S. has evolved to embrace a broader definition of “exposures”—toxic, environmental, and even emotional. Goetze emphasized that firefighter health is a whole-body challenge, requiring not just medical care but also community, education, and prevention strategies. “Today,” he said, “we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. Our mission has grown beyond cancer awareness to include detox solutions, trauma support, and integrative health strategies. This is the evolution of F.A.C.E.S.”
Shared Themes: Technology, Detox, and Noninvasive Care
Dr. Leslie Valle Montoya (image-R) described her frontline work in California, where fire season fills her clinic with patients struggling not only with acute smoke exposure but also with long-term toxic accumulation. To address this, she has implemented a structured firefighter detox program through her nonprofit initiative. The protocol combines high-dose niacin therapy*—a clinically validated approach for mobilizing fat-stored toxins—with guided sauna treatments that accelerate excretion through sweat. Her regimen is paired with bioenergy therapies such as pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy, which supports cellular repair, and near-infrared light applications, which have shown measurable benefits in immune modulation. What makes Dr. Valle’s approach unique is the layered, noninvasive nature of the protocol: firefighters undergo diagnostics such as heavy-metal analysis with the OligoScan, thermometry for whole-body stress mapping, and heart-rate variability tracking. These provide quantifiable evidence of toxic burden and resilience, allowing her to tailor detox cycles and monitor progress.
Together, the protocols advanced by Dr. Valle and Dr. Mazza form a dual-pronged model: one directed at external clearance of toxicants and the other focused on internal restoration of endocrine balance. Both share a commitment to noninvasive diagnostics and patient empowerment. Their strategies acknowledge that while firefighters often wait for disease to be diagnosed—whether through a cancer biopsy or hormone collapse—proactive detoxification can shift the paradigm toward prevention and resilience.
The wider F.A.C.E.S. community recognized that detox protocols are no longer fringe or secondary, but rather essential interventions that tie together imaging, psychiatry, and endocrine care. Noninvasive technologies like thermography, ultrasound, and elastography allow clinicians to monitor changes in real time, while psychiatric integration ensures that trauma and stress do not undermine recovery. Detoxification, therefore, becomes the bridge between disciplines, ensuring that firefighters are not only screened and diagnosed but also actively supported in ridding their bodies of the very agents that fuel disease.
As the meeting concluded, it was clear that the detox conversation marked a new frontier for F.A.C.E.S. advocacy. By advancing customized, evidence-based detox protocols such as those pioneered by Dr. Valle Montoya and Dr. Mazza, the organization is charting a path where firefighters are equipped not just to survive exposures, but to thrive in spite of them. This is the evolution from crisis response to whole-body resilience, placing detox at the center of firefighter wellness for the years ahead.
Dave Dachinger: Voice of Responder Resilience
Among the many voices at the F.A.C.E.S. Leadership Board meeting, special recognition was given to Dave Dachinger, former firefighter and lieutenant, cancer survivor, and now producer of one of the most influential platforms in the first responder wellness community: Responder Resilience. What began as a small collaboration with trauma clinicians has grown into a powerful media channel that now boasts nearly 200 episodes—each one a deep dive into the health, recovery, and resilience of firefighters, EMTs, law enforcement officers, and their families.
Dachinger’s journey from the firehouse to the broadcast studio reflects both courage and vision. After a personal battle with stage four head and neck cancer, he understood firsthand the intersection of toxic exposures, emotional strain, and the silent burdens first responders carry. Rather than retreat from these challenges, he transformed them into a mission: to give voice to the stories often hidden behind the badge. Through his podcast, he has amplified clinicians, survivors, and leaders who are shaping new models of care—addressing trauma, sleep disruption, cancer prevention, detox, and the nuanced cultural realities of emergency service work.
At the meeting, board members noted that Responder Resilience has become more than a podcast. It is a living archive of frontline experience, a virtual library where experts share practical tools and stories of post-traumatic growth. With nearly 200 interviews, Dachinger has created a collective narrative of resilience—demonstrating that firefighters and first responders are not defined by their exposures, but by their capacity to heal, adapt, and thrive. His work also bridges an important gap: by bringing medical experts, psychiatrists, endocrinologists, and detox pioneers into dialogue with responders themselves, he creates a multidisciplinary forum that mirrors the collaborative spirit of F.A.C.E.S.
The Leadership Board honored Dachinger not only for his media contributions but also for his cultural competence—the ability to speak both as a firefighter who has lived the life, and as a communicator who translates clinical insights into language and stories that resonate. This dual credibility makes Responder Resilience an indispensable educational tool for clinicians seeking to understand first responder culture and for responders searching for validation and hope.
The group also celebrated the forthcoming release of his book, Helping the Helpers: The Clinician’s Guide to First Responder Mental Wellness, which distills lessons from the podcast into a resource for mental health professionals, peer supporters, and families. In this way, Dachinger’s work extends beyond the microphone, creating a continuum of education and advocacy that strengthens the first responder community at multiple levels.
By honoring Dave Dachinger, the meeting underscored a vital truth: storytelling is as essential to healing as science. Through Responder Resilience, Dachinger has built a platform that not only informs but also uplifts—turning the collective struggle of responders into a shared path toward resilience. His work embodies the spirit of F.A.C.E.S.: transforming exposure into empowerment, and hardship into hope.
Dr. Robert Bard: Imaging the Invisible
From scalp thermography for toxin-induced hair loss to thyroid elastography for Hashimoto’s disease, Bard demonstrated how noninvasive imaging can reveal hidden patterns of firefighter-related illnesses. He emphasized that many conditions traditionally detected late could now be monitored earlier, guiding preventive care and reducing unnecessary surgical interventions.
Dr. Bard also drew parallels between physical trauma and emotional trauma, highlighting how imaging technologies can aid in both emergency response and long-term care. His experiences in 9/11 response and ongoing collaborations with fire services worldwide underscored the global reach of these solutions.
Dr. Angela Mazza: Endocrinology and Detox as Prevention
Dr. Angela Mazza, an integrative endocrinologist from Florida, framed firefighter health through the lens of hormones and metabolism. She explained how toxins disrupt delicate endocrine pathways, influencing everything from thyroid function to insulin resistance.
Having treated firefighters with thyroid nodules and cancers, Dr. Mazza underscored the urgent need for daily detoxification strategies. She described her clinical approach, which blends traditional endocrinology with functional medicine, using techniques such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to treat thyroid nodules without surgery. Her advocacy was clear: “Hormones are sensitive. Firefighters live with exposures that go far beyond the general population. If we can protect and restore endocrine balance through detox and integrative care, we can shift the trajectory from disease to resilience.”
Dr. Barbara Bartlik: Trauma, Psychiatry, and Integrative Healing
Dr. Barbara Bartlik, a psychiatrist and integrative sex-health specialist from New York City, addressed the emotional exposures of firefighting—trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. She noted that toxic exposures do not stop at the body: they interact with hormone systems, complicating psychiatric treatment and impairing resilience.
Standard psychiatric medications, she warned, often fail when underlying toxic or hormonal imbalances remain untreated. For true recovery, firefighters need integrative therapies: detoxification, nutritional supplementation, sauna therapy, and emerging technologies like PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic field therapy). Bartlik’s clinical voice added depth to the meeting: “The medications alone are not enough. Firefighters deserve comprehensive care that treats the body, mind, and environment as interconnected.”
Dr. Leslie Valle Montoya: Biological Medicine and Community Care
From Santa Barbara, California, Dr. Leslie Valle Montoya brought frontline insights into firefighter health. As wildfires surge, her clinic has seen a rising number of first responders needing help not only for physical exposures but also for stress management.
Her nonprofit initiative provides assisted detox programs using high-dose niacin, saunas, bioenergy therapies, and diagnostics like the OligoScan, which measures heavy metals transdermally. By correlating toxins with mineral deficiencies, she tailors detox and recovery strategies. Dr. Valle Montoya also apprenticed in ultrasound imaging, emphasizing the need to scan firefighters’ thyroids, lungs, and breasts for early detection. “Insurance won’t cover these treatments,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean they’re not vital. Our job is to build access, awareness, and advocacy.”
Honoring the Past, Building the Future
The meeting closed with reflections on legacy. Dan Noonan’s passing served as a reminder that advocacy is built on voices that speak when others cannot. Sal Banchitta (original member / "Get Checked Now!" advocate and Chris Conner, Founder/CEO) joined in a part-2 meeting with other key supporters 1 week later, remain vital to the mission. Goetze concluded by affirming the board’s role as both guardians of memory and architects of progress: “We began by talking about cancer. Now we are building a framework for whole-body health. Our firefighters deserve nothing less than everything we can offer—science, compassion, and relentless advocacy.”
Conclusion: The Next Chapter of F.A.C.E.S.
The 2025 Leadership Board meeting of F.A.C.E.S. was more than an update. It was a declaration of evolution. With leaders spanning endocrinology, psychiatry, biological medicine, imaging, and communications, the organization is poised to set national standards in prevention, detection, and care.
As new technologies, strategies, and detox solutions come to the forefront, F.A.C.E.S. continues its mission to protect the protectors. For firefighters across the nation, this work is not abstract—it is survival, resilience, and hope.
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