Shawn O’Shell said the death of his good friend and fellow Jacksonville Beach firefighter, Capt. Ronnie Rabon, is a weight on those working for the department citing "the dangers of the job and how important early detection is with cancer,"
O’Shell is secretary of the Jacksonville Beach Firefighters Union.
He jumped at the opportunity for a free cancer screening from Cancer Dogs.
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The company’s canines are trained to sniff out the odor of all types of cancer present in a person’s breath.
“All we really have to do is wear a mask for 10 minutes, package it back up, sent it to them – no obligation, no cost to the city,” O’Shell said.
He was surprised when the fire chief responded by saying the city would not endorse the practice.
“To deny this is just disturbing to our guys. Our guys are wondering why the city wouldn’t support something as important as a cancer screening that is free," Shell said.
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In March, Action News Jax reporter Amber Krycka pressed the chief about why it took community fundraising to get cancer-blocking hoods for the crews.
Chief David Whitmill said, “You tend to prioritize. Not to say we put our firefighters behind other things, but we are buying other safety equipment for them as well. It's a constant battle for funding."
On Friday, the city manager refused an interview with Action News Jax.
He sent an explanation for the decision, which read:
“Mayor and Council,
Earlier today you received an email from IAFF Local 2622, claiming that the City and Fire Chief do not care about the health and safety of its firefighters, because the City would not endorse the practice of using 'free cancer screening test offered…from a company by the name of Cancer Dogs.' I would like to clarify the City’s position:
- The City did not deny Local 2622 from using this screening. The City said it would not endorse the practice. The City also said pursuit of this screening could be done individually, outside of the department.
- Cancer Dogs information on their website states, 'Everyone must understand that this is a trial and is experimental. There is no guarantee and false positive or false negative results are possible. The cost is $30 US per person, plus return shipping.”
- FloridaBlue, our medical provider, does not recognize this particular screening, nor rely upon its results, for the purposes of medical diagnoses or treatments.
- Provision of medical exams, screening and tests, endorsed and provided by the City for IAFF members, is provided for in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA), recently ratified by the IAFF and approved by City Council (retroactive to 2017).
- The City does care about the health and safety of its firefighters. It is for this reason that Article 8: Safety and Health, and Article12: Medical Examination, exist within the CBA.
"In short, the City is correct in not actively endorsing unproven medical screenings that currently lie outside of the terms of the CBA. Should the members of IAFF Local 2622 wish to proceed with screenings through Cancer Dogs, they may do so at their leisure and convenience; however, any screening results, or their associated costs, will not be recognized by the City or its medical provider.
"In the event Local 2622 wishes to negotiate additional medical tests and screenings into the CBA, they should contact the City’s Labor Relations Officer (Ann Meuse, HR Director) to discuss the appropriate process. However, sending communications directly to the City Council to leverage additional benefits outside of the existing CBA is inappropriate.”
According to O’Shell, those aren’t good enough reasons.
He said, “Even if it caught one person out of 100, that’s good. That’s one person that might be able to fight cancer early and get through it.”
Cox Media Group
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