As cancer spikes among firefighters, Fresno Fire Department adapts to protect its own

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — More firefighters are being diagnosed with cancer nationwide — a statistic believed to be linked to changes in the materials found in homes and buildings.

Here at home, the Fresno Fire Department has lost 15 firefighters in the line of duty. Nearly half of those were cancer deaths, and all of them happened within the last eight years.

Now, the department’s leadership says they’re now relearning a job they’ve worked for years, to protect their own.

“Every night, I go home, and my thoughts and prayers… are that our people are safe,” said Fresno Fire Department Deputy Chief Devin McGuire.

The department has been investing in equipment to protect its firefighters, because the danger doesn’t end when they leave a fire. The air they’ve breathed, and the chemicals they’ve been exposed to thanks to a greater use of plastics and petroleum-based electronics, has resulted in a spike in cancer.

“There’s been a big emphasis on how can we prevent it? What else can we do?” said Joshua Sellers, a public information officer for Fresno fire.

Part of the effort is implementing standards — like keeping their gear contained and away from them and then washing it after a fire, as well as showering as soon as possible.

Sellers is passionate about the changes: several of his friends are currently fighting cancer. Others have lost their own battles with the disease.

“When you see your brothers and sisters suffering, it’s like, okay. We really need to make a difference,” he said.

Officials say to do that, they have to do things differently. As they face different challenges, in a different world.

“The challenge for me from an operations standpoint is to share those reflections of what I did, probably, wrong, and make sure that what we’re doing moving forward is doing the most possible to make sure that they’re protected to the best of their ability,” said McGuire.

This time last year, Fresno Fire deployed a team to help fight Southern California’s wildfires. Fresno officials say it’s an added health concern to the everyday risks — one they’ll need to monitor for decades to come.

As cancer spikes among firefighters, Fresno Fire Department adapts to protect its own

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