Lillian Carney

Executive Director

Lillian Carney is the President and Executive Director for the Carney Strong Initiative. She joined the non-profit organization in 2018 to honor the memory of her husband, Battalion Chief Josh Carney, who lost his battle with firefighter cancer after 25 years in the fire service. Carney Strong is making a difference in smaller fire departments across the country by providing decontamination supplies and educational resources, at no cost to the department.
Lillian is an outspoken advocate of firefighter cancer prevention and preparedness. Though she does express the need for improving fire ground protocols around decontamination, Lillian focuses her time sharing the lessons learned and hard truths from personal experience. She is hopeful that the straightforward approach of sharing their cancer journey will drive dialogue and preparedness for both the firefighter and their families, protecting them from experiencing similar loss.