About 50 area firefighters received free cancer screenings last week. Cancer survivor Daniel Wuori, a 43-year veteran of the Norfolk fire department, helped spearhead the event, which was through a partnership between the Litchfield County Firefighter Cancer Support Group and the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute.
The cost of the screenings was covered by donations from the Litchfield County fire companies and other benefactors, and the support group hopes to make cancer screenings part of firefighters’ annual physical exams.
Cancer is a growing concern for firefighters because of their repeated exposure to toxins embedded in modern materials and released when they are burned. Cases of firefighters developing cancer are well-documented, according to Dr. Peter Yu, physician-in-chief for Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute, who says the kinds of cancers firefighters develop are “across all kinds of cancers, but, for some cancers, like those of the bladder or the kidney, it’s doubled.”
A recent report by United Diagnostic Services indicated the dangers. It said that firefighters have a 14 percent greater chance of suffering cancer-related deaths than the rest of the U.S. population.
Last May, the state expanded its screening program, giving all firefighters, professional or volunteer, access to free cancer screenings every two years. Volunteer firefighters are eligible under the state’s Firefighters Cancer Relief Program if they have served for at least five years as an “interior structural firefighter” or in a similar role.
The Litchfield County Firefighter Cancer Support Group was formed last year by Wuori and fellow survivors Winsted Fire Chief John Field and retired Pleasant Valley Fire Chief Jim Shanley. It is open to all Litchfield County firefighters interested in sharing their cancer experiences.