Firefighters learn about cancer link

Gather to find tips to prevent top killer among comrades

Cancer is not only a firefighter’s greatest risk but, it’s also nationwide their number one killer.

Firefighters from all around Northeast Ohio gathered at Auburn Career Center in Chardon to learn about cancer prevention and the Presumptive Law named after firefighter Michael Palumbo Jr., a firefighter who last year lost his battle with cancer. The law which passed last year allows different types of cancers to be considered an occupational related illness and coverable by worker’s compensation.

In 2017 worker’s compensation approved 50 percent of the occupational cancer cases filed, with others still going through the process, according to Bill Mastroianni, director of operations for Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters (OAPFF), the organization which worked to get the bill passed.

The goal of the Firefighter Occupational Cancer and Awareness seminar which featured speakers Steve Westcott, the Ohio director for the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, a 14 year veteran of fire service and two time cancer survivor; and Ron Terriaco, deputy fire chief from the Concord Fire Department, was to continue the discussion or risk reduction through awareness and prevention, according to Mark Palumbo, Captain for Mayfield Heights and Willowick Fire Departments.

Westcott believes there are three major steps in helping firefighters: education, prevention and the presumptive law. He thinks the number one starting point in cancer prevention is an education campaign.

“This has been an epidemic for a very long because it was very under reported... Once the statistics started coming in

we started strongly looking at what was happening and the awareness and the need for prevention was obvious,” Westcott said. “Onethird of nations fire fighters will develope cancer and half of those will go on to die from it.”

He believes educating firefighters on how they contract cancer and how to

stop it is a first major step in the process.

The next step after education is prevention, taking a look at how firefighters can better protect themselves, different types of equipment, different types of procedures, different types of approaches to the dangers they face and really trying to limit their risk.

“A firefighter will never go to any type of fire, building, car, dumpster, that doesn’t pose a cancer risk to them,” Westcott said. “If

we get new equipment, if we use our equipment, if we wear our equipment we can limit risk. If we are able to take care of ourselves with the proper items, if we are able to learn to eat right, how to work out right, and learn what types of cancer we are getting and why and how, we can get ahead of it.”

The third step which after a long hard fought battle was getting a presumptive law in the State of Ohio, which until last year was one of 16 states without it.

The main point of his presentation, according to Westcott, was that presumptive law doesn’t mean firefighters don’t have to take care of themselves or take certain precautions.

“The presumptive law, it’s great that it’s there but it’s something we hope we never have to use, it’s extra mind-set protection that as a monetary thing that you will be taken care of for the risk you done on your job and that your family will be taken care of,” Westcott

said.

Palumbo, who is the assistant state director of the Ohio Firefighter Cancer Support Network said the mission is to continue to educate their brothers and sisters throughout the state so they can prevent cancer.

“The goal is not to use the legislation at all, but to go through preventive measures and continue the conversation. Palumbo said. “Going forward, we still have a lot of work to

do. The legislation is in our back pocket for occupational cancers but the goal is to continue the conversation, continue the education, and change the culture of the fire service to protect our members.”

The Firefighter Support Network is one of Several Organizations working to educate Ohio firefighters.

The OAPFF is working on a comprehensive newsletter on the prevention of occupational cancer, according to Mastroianni.