Pfizer is teaming up with a firefighters’ union for a smoking cessation campaign aimed at making the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) “the first smoke-free union.”
The campaign features a website advising firefighters on the risks of smoking and how to quit and featuring video messages from Pfizer CEO Jeff Kindler and IAFF general president Harold Schaitberger. Additional resources are coming soon, including a DVD with stories from firefighters about quitting.
Firefighters, the company and the union noted, already face elevated risk for smoking-related illnesses including heart disease, respiratory disease and certain cancers. Smoking is also the leading cause of fires.
“We congratulate the IAFF for its commitment to this campaign and look forward to working together toward the goal of a smoke-free union,” said Kindler in a statement. “Firefighters are respected leaders in their communities, and this program on smoking cessation reaffirms that leadership.”
Pfizer makes smoking cessation treatment Chantix. The Pfizer-IAFF campaign is unbranded, though clicking a link on the main page of the website takes you to a run-down of treatment options, including Chantix, produced by the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center, a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation whose partners include Pfizer.
