Firefighters already put their lives on the line, but could they also be more in danger of a silent killer?
We know they’re exposed to toxins, carcinogens, all things that we’re warned about on cigarette and other labels.
“It’s the invisible monster. You don’t see the carcinogens floating around and those are the ones that are going to kill us,” said Jazlyn Zombo, a local firefighter. She’s survived melanoma skin cancer along with cervical cancer. She said she doesn’t have a family history of either and believes it could be linked to her job.
Medical experts are studying to see if cancer is an occupational hazard or if other factors are at play.
“Cancer kind of snuck up on us. Back then, heart disease was the number one killer of firefighters. Unfortunately, now cancer has taken over and now cancer kills more firefighters under the age of 60 than heart disease does,” said Battalion Chief Rick Segrest, who focuses on health and wellness for Orange County Fire Rescue.
A study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health did find increased numbers of men and women with cancer and mesothelioma out of the 30,000 firefighters they studied compared to the general population.
Orlando Health oncologists said they haven’t seen a direct link from firefighting to cancer, but they also point out bigger studies are underway.
Orange County Lt. Steven Parkes, a paramedic assigned to an Orange County fire station was diagnosed with stage 4 testicular cancer in 2014.
After surgery and recovery, he’s back at work. But he goes in for screenings every three months. “It’s very scary and that’s why I’m so open to talk about it.”
He said there will always be dangers to the job, but awareness is key.
Fire stations have started encouraging employees to get extra health screenings. Orange County firefighters also get ultrasounds in addition to their annual physical.
They encourage each other to wipe down gear after each fire to remove toxins as soon as possible.
“We are risking our lives in toxic environments. Fires, nowadays, we call toxic cocktails,” said Segrest.
Some fire stations keep gear in an airlock room as opposed to the fire truck bay where diesel exhaust fumes from the trucks could settle into the gear.
Why do these cancer-surviving firefighters put themselves on the line despite the risks?
“I fell in love with it and I’ve been doing it almost 17 years now and I still love coming to work,” said Parkes.
“There’d be no way I’d quit. I love helping people,” said Zombo.
Several firefighter groups are pushing for cancer presumption laws at the state level.
Local attorney and former firefighter Mike Clelland said that would add some protection to firefighters who get cancer, but he also said it’s something that would take time to pass, if at all.