Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month is being marked, raising awareness of the fact that occupational cancer is the leading cause of line-of-duty death amongst firefighters.
At the 2023 Fallen Firefighter Memorial hosted by the International Association of Firefighters, 63 percent of those added to the wall died from occupational cancer. That sobering statistic isn’t lost on Peterborough Fire Chief Chris Snetsinger, who has attended “too many” funerals of retirees stricken with cancer. He says there are new dangers putting his firefighters at risk.
Post-fire call, Chief Snetsinger says stringent steps are followed to ensure toxins aren’t absorbed by firefighters’ bodies.
Chief Snetsinger says his firefighters are dealing with “a different type of fire now. That necessitates strict and diligent adherence to decontamination protocols.
(Written by: Paul Rellinger)
