ROANOKE, Va. – Not only do firefighters have to combat blazing fires on a near-daily basis, but they also need to contend with the long-term effects of said fires.
According to a 2010 study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, “When compared to the number of cancers expected using U.S. population rates, the firefighters in this study had a modest increase in cancer diagnoses (9% increase) and cancer-related deaths (14% increase).”
Peter Matthiessen has been a firefighter for 15 years and is a member of the Roanoke Firefighters Association Local 1132 and has unfortunately seen many of his friends on the force get stricken with cancer.
In his 15 years on the force, he has also seen progressive changes made to try and protect firefighters from job-related cancer.
Part of those changes is the very gear that protects them from the fires.
“[We] have two sets of turnout gear so that we could wash one set after a fire so we can get into a clean set so that we’re not wearing gear with carcinogens on for the rest of our shift,” Matthiessen said.
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Worn turnout gear - which consists of a jacket, pants, boots and a helmet - is no longer allowed within the living spaces of the fire department, which limits the exposure to carcinogens.
The fabric can still hold onto carcinogens from the smoke, but now an extra set allows firefighters to take the first set off, wash it and get into clean gear.
Bulkier washing machines called extractors are designed specifically for turnout gear.
“After a fire or some kind of incident where we can be exposed to carcinogens, we would put that gear back on to run more calls throughout the day and continue to re-expose ourselves to those contaminants.”
The most progressive moves are from the field of medicine.
“One of the best things is that Roanoke Firefighters Association has combined with United Diagnostic Services to provide diagnostic testing,” Matthiessen said.
For a small fee and about 30 minutes of time, firefighters can get a full screening that can find an abnormality. The test screens nine critical areas of the body.
- Echocardiogram
- Carotid Doppler
- Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)
- Thyroid
- Liver
- Spleen
- Kidneys
- Gallbladder
- Bladder Ultrasound
- Pelvic (external, women only)
- Testicular (men only)
Matthiessen suggests that all firefighters get this type of screening annually.
Firefighters accept that this is a hazardous job and anything can happen, but these days they have a little bit more protection against cancer.
“Again, that’s something that we accept the fact that we’re more at risk for cancer,” Matthiessen said. “Our departments and the Roanoke Firefighters Association is very good about ensuring that we have access to the insurance coverage we need to treat it, god forbid we get that disease.”
