APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – 62%.
That’s how much of an increased risk firefighters have of developing esophageal cancer during their time in service as firefighters.
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Making early screening a priority.
“We are exposed to chemicals that produce cancer, carcinogens, at a very high rate. So cancer in the fire service is actually higher than in the general population,” said Capt. Justin Brown with the Appleton Fire Department. “As I said before, I think it’s 14%, to be exact. So when the rest of the world starts dealing with cancer at 70 and 80, we start in our 60s dealing with cancer.”
The department is no stranger to screenings for its firefighters. This is the second time in the last five years they have been screened for esophageal cancer and have also participated in ultrasound screenings as well.
Making sure that the crew of 100 is healthy and can find any possible abnormalities early.
“We just had a member go off two years ago with lung cancer. And he battled it. He’s a two-time survivor of lung cancer. Now we’re sort of proud of him. But cancer is something that’s prevalent in the fire service,” said Brown.
The process has the firefighters swallowing a pill, while a balloon gets inflated to gather cells in the esophagus, collecting data on how the bodies are reacting to what they breathe in out in the field.
“They put themselves in harm’s way, and then the amount of toxins that they breathe in regularly with their job, unfortunately, is what puts them at such a higher risk,” said Brittany Kubis, a registered nurse with Lucid Diagnostics. “So anything we can do to give back to them and help them get these pre-cancer screenings is so very important.”
Early screening allows the firefighters to get treatment early, before it becomes more dangerous.
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“We have had a very positive response to this because it’s saving so many lives. And like we were saying before, since they’re at such a higher rate, this is so vital. And it’s very important that they get this screening done so that they can get treated. This is a treatable disease,” said Kubis. “If we detect it early and we treat it, it will then never progress to a lethal cancer, which is why this is so important.”
Eighty of the 100 firefighters were screened today, with the next one expected within the next three to five years.
