New federal grant will help Aurora firefighters get cancer screenings in Colorado
Aurora Fire Rescue has a new way to protect its firefighters. For the first time, AFR will provide comprehensive cancer screenings thanks to a $420,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Firefighters Grant Program.
It's the largest of its kind awarded to AFR in recent years, and it's expected to make a life-saving difference.
If anyone knows the impact cancer and other job-related illnesses have had on firefighters, it's Mike Ackman.
"I've lost so many of my friends either to cancer or heart problems," said Ackman, a retired Aurora firefighter.
Ackman dedicated more than more than 40 years of his life to the fire service, primarily with AFR. Back when he joined with Aurora in 1980, the equipment and protocols to keep crews safe were minimal, he said.
"When I came on, it was two years before I had a coat that was my own because we were all given helmets, coats, boots that were all leftover stuff as the older firefighters got new equipment," Ackman told CBS Colorado's Kelly Werthmann.
From leftover gear likely covered in toxic soot to the sort of "tough guy" mentality that put firefighters at risk. The generation of firefighting Ackman came into was quite different than it is today.
"It was definitely a badge of honor to not wear your air pack in a fire and see how long you could last in there," he said.
It's a risk Ackman recalls taking decades ago. While inside a burning charge, Ackman said he couldn't see through his mask.
"I lifted the mask off for one second, and I took a breath, and it dropped me to my knees," he said. "It changed the course of my life."
A life riddled with a handful of job-related health issues, Ackman explained, including testing positive for esophageal cancer. While he is cancer-free now, many of his colleagues haven't been as fortunate.
"Two of our line-of-duty deaths are both cancer-related," Ackman said. "On the 15th of July, somebody I worked with in Glendale Fire for many years lost his cancer battle. And, I lost a cousin at age 44 to a heart attack and my dad at age 58 to a heart attack, who were both on the job."
Along with cancers, firefighters are at a greater risk for heart complications. Right now, several AFR members have been treated for cardiovascular-related issues and are battling cancer on the job. All the more reason why the nearly $500,000 federal grant for more comprehensive physicals and cancer screenings is so greatly needed.
"The reason why that's so important is those are not easily offered things on a regular insurance policy," Dr. Eric Hill, medical director for AFR, said. "So, by getting this grant, we're able to offer our members a chance to screen for these things because they're at a higher risk of developing cancers just by the nature of their job that they're doing."
Dr. Hill explained firefighters are at a significantly greater risk for cancer because of their exposure to carcinogens, burning plastics and other materials, hydrogen sulfide and other toxins. According to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, cancer is the most dangerous threat to firefighter health and safety and is the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths.
"Some of these types of cancers, the risk is twice the population," Dr. Hill said.
Between 2002 and 2019, cancer caused 66% of all career firefighter line-of-duty deaths, per data from the International Association of Firefighters. Heart disease caused 18 percent of career line-of-duty deaths for the same period. And, as with any life-threatening disease, especially cancer, early detection is key.
"The ability to have this type of screening, no matter what your age is, no matter what your personal exposure is, if you have a concern and you want to get this screening done early, then we can identify it," said Dr. Hill. "It only takes one of your friends being diagnosed with cancer to say, 'I'm concerned, and I want to have this available to myself as well.'"
Just ask Ackman.
"I know how the job can shorten your life," he said.
So, it is his hope that every Aurora firefighter takes advantage of these covered cancer screenings and physicals to stay healthy – especially the next generation.
"There are so many of us that have deficiencies now because we didn't know to take better care of ourselves, so this grant will help with that. It's a great education for us," said Ackman.
Aurora fire said the screenings will begin in the spring of 2025 and will be available to all of the department's nearly 500 firefighters.
