For firefighters, cancer risk a greater threat than flames

In 2016, 70 percent of firefighters who died nationally in the line of duty died from cancer.

Studies show firefighters have at least a 9 percent higher chance of contracting cancer than the general public and a 14 percent greater risk of dying from it. Those alarming numbers have firefighters in North Carolina now fighting for increased benefits for cancers connected to their careers.

“I know the risk of getting burned or getting in a building collapse. I never thought I'd get cancer,” says Raleigh firefighter Keith Kirton, who had surgery to remove kidney cancer at the age of 47.

And he’s not alone. Chief Greg Bridges, who’s also the Safety Officer for the Raleigh Fire Department, was just diagnosed with skin cancer. He points to years of exposure to carcinogenic materials that are created by burning plastics found in furniture, carpet and paint.

“Dirty turnout gear, filthy turnout gear was considered a badge of honor,” says Bridges. With increased research, Bridges says firefighters now have a different outlook on that badge of honor, “People I've worked with my entire career and even myself may die of cancer because of what we chose to do as a profession.”

Retired Firefighter Michael Davis was diagnosed last year with stage 4 brain cancer. Research shows firefighters have a 31 percent greater chance of contracting brain cancer than the general public. When he was younger, Davis never considered the hidden dangers of the job: “I never thought about the fact that all that crap I got all over me went into your skin. I spent 30 years crawling in and out of fires and expected my body to be beat up to some degree, but this is a whole different ballgame.”

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Davis says doctors told him the cancer actually started in his lungs, which took him by surprise: “I said I never smoked a cigarette a day in my life.”

Davis has no doubt his cancer was caused by his job. Following his diagnosis, Davis started doing research and was alarmed by what he found. “Your chances of contracting this disease are almost as if you might as well say you’re going to get it if you do this job. You’re going to get this disease.”

Davis and firefighters across the state are pointing to a study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which found firefighters have an increased risk of contracting several types of cancer, including mesothelioma, testicular, skin, prostate and non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Right now, North Carolina provides line-of-duty death benefits to the families of firefighters who die from four types of cancers. State Rep. Jason Saine, R-Lincoln, who’s also a volunteer firefighter, wants to expand that list.

“I certainly think we need to take care of those folks who look out for us…,” he said. “We don't pay them a lot and they're happy warriors to go do that, but at the same time I think we've got to think about the families that are left behind and the personal cost.”

Saine has filed bills the last two legislative sessions to not only expand the list of job-related cancers that qualify for extra death benefits, but also to provide workman’s compensation for cancers that may be tied to the firefighting profession. Currently, 30 states across the country provide that benefit.

Chief Bridges is constantly looking for ways to improve safety for Raleigh’s firefighters, from improved cleaning of gear after fires to decreasing diesel fumes in firehouses.

While he continues to push for improvements and educate firefighters about cancer risks, Bridges also has a longterm goal: “I want our firefighters, not just in the city of Raleigh, but across the nation, to be able to walk away and enjoy their pension – because they've earned it.”