January dedicated as Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month

The International Association of Firefighters has designated January as Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month.

According to Harrison County Fire Chief Pat Sullivan, firefighters have a 68% greater chance to get cancer than the average citizen.

Common cancers amongst firefighters include lymphoma, prostate cancer, and lung cancer.

However, the team with Harrison County Fire Service has implemented several protocols such as not allowing fire gear inside the stations nor inside the fire truck cabs to prevent carcinogenic inhalation.

The fire service also has yearly gear inspections and cleanings as well as routine cleanings after major events. Chief Sullivan said, “We always worry about a building collapsing on us, getting burned up in a fire, all of those things. Those are things we deal with every day. It’s the silent killer such as the cancers where it doesn’t happen the first time you go into a fire. It may not happen the tenth time you go in a fire, but if you have a career as a fire fighter, the chances of you getting cancer is much greater than the general public.”

According to the International Association of Firefighters website, 75 percent of the firefighters added to the Fallen Firefighter Memorial from 2015 to 2020 died from occupational cancer.