FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF)- The Fort Worth Fire Department is partnering with community leaders to launch a health and wellness program aimed at reducing cancer exposure. Cancer is increasingly recognized as one of the most dangerous threats to firefighters. Studies have shown that firefighters are at increased risk for many types of cancer compared with the general population.
The toxins and carcinogens firefighters are exposed to on the scene and through residual effects of firefighting are better understood now than ever before. At least a dozen cancer types can be linked to the fire service.
“Firefighters are contracting cancer at an alarming rate, and we need to take action to protect our first responders,” said Fire Chief Jim Davis. “Fortunately, there are specific things we can do to lessen our risks and prevent exposure.”
In the Fort Worth Fire Department alone, $700,000 in health care claims for employees with a cancer diagnosis were made in 2019. Thirty-two firefighters are either in cancer treatment or in remission, according to department statistics.
“We are seeing a sharp rise in our cancer diagnoses we want to make sure we are not falling for whatever fad is out there… we want to make sure that we are truly doing what we feel is scientifically-based going forward to reduce that,” said Mike Drivdhal with the Fort Worth Fire Department.
FWFD plans to partner with community leaders and use scientifically-proven methods for education, prevention, detection and survivorship. The program involves a full-spectrum approach to behavioral, cardiac and cancer care.
The department and its partners have proposed a $1.2 million cancer reduction budget for fiscal year 2020 that would focus on protecting firefighters from exposure to potential cancer-causing elements by purchasing appropriate fire gear and gear-cleaning equipment. “We feel like our structure firefighter gear gets contaminated with toxins when we fight structure fires so we want to put our firefighters in a different type of gear for all of the other responses we make and also get new extractors, a specialized washing machine that will clean all of the contaminants out of the gear,” said Drivdahl.
Drivdahl said they will also implement simple things like enforcing sunscreen usage and wearing a baseball cap to avoid excess exposure.
“We owe it to each firefighter, to their families and to the community to take every step necessary to keep our firefighters healthy and to ensure they come home safely,” Chief Davis said. “Together we can greatly reduce firefighter occupational cancer.”
