Jacksonville, Fla. — January is Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month, and according to the Jacksonville Association of Fire Fighters almost three-quarters of firefighters who’ve died in the line of duty have died of cancer. Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center is hoping its new partnership with local firefighters will change that statistic.
“Firefighters are very susceptible to cancer,” Randy Wyse, president of the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters said. Wyse says cancer is specifically a problem among first responders.
Wyse knows firsthand; cancer has gripped his own family members who were also firefighters. “They spend their whole careers serving citizens, and what we want to do is make sure they’re taken care of in probably the worst time of their lives that if they come down with cancer, that they get the best treatment as possible,” he told Action News Jax.
Several years ago, the state of Florida gave benefits to firefighters diagnosed with cancer, getting them the help and treatment they need. “Florida was really one of the last ones to step up to recognize that there should be some benefit for what we consider an on-the-job sickness,” Wyse said.
Now, that effort is being taken a step further with the help of Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center who will serve local firefighters and guide them through treatment.
Wyse says education is also key -- the goal is to teach firefighters about the increased risk of cancer that comes with the job. “Us going into burning buildings, being exposed to certain chemicals,” Wyse explained.
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Should a firefighter get diagnosed with cancer, the partnership will ensure that first responder has a point person guiding them along while they get treatment. It’s something Wyse says couldn’t come soon enough. “We want to make sure they get the best treatment, so that’s why we teamed up with MD Anderson,” Wyse added.
Action News Jax is working to get numbers on the number of local firefighters diagnosed with cancer and will update this story when that information becomes available.