MIAMI TWP — Cancer is the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths for firefighters.
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Lt. Bob Spirk with the Miami Valley Fire District has been a firefighter for nearly 25 years.
“I didn’t even take my SATs or ACTs. I went straight from high school to Sinclair,” Sprik said.
He knows the risks that come with his public service.
“Oh yeah, I think we all, when we stand up and take our oath, we realize that we might be obviously sacrificing our life for somebody,” Spirk said.
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There’s also a silent threat that could lead to that sacrifice.
According to the International Association of Fire Fighters, the union that represents firefighters across the U.S. and Canada.
Nearly 80 percent of line-of-duty deaths last year were due to occupational cancer.
It’s a consequence of the hazardous chemicals firefighters encounter on the job.
This week, the Miami Valley Fire District started a new way to work at preventing a prolific killer in their profession.
“Yesterday and today, so it was brand new, and a lot of us still have our band-aids on,” Spirk said.
Local union membership and the command staff worked together to start a cancer screening program for all staff at the department, which serves Miamisburg and Miami Township.
The blood work testing can give staff peace of mind or tell them if they need to follow up with their doctor.
“Obviously, you have better survival rates the earlier you catch cancer,” Spirk said.
The district said as far as it knows, it’s the first department in the Miami Valley to offer the program.
It’s a new approach to battling a long-standing threat facing first responders.
“If it catches one early-stage cancer and we’re able to prevent a death in Miami Valley Fire District, then by all means, it’s money well spent,” Chief Steve Johnson with the Miami Valley Fire District said.
The Miami Valley Fire District said if any other fire departments in the Dayton region have questions about considering the program for their own departments, they’d be happy to have conversations with those departments about the process.
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