BOSTON (WHDH) - The Boston Fire Relief Fund is looking to subsidize the cost of crucial cancer and cardiovascular body scans that are not covered by insurance in an effort to curb the number of occupational-related deaths within the department.
Over the past decade, cancer and heart disease have accounted for the majority of on-duty firefighter deaths and disabilities, according to officials. In Boston, 27 Firefighters have died from cancer between 2012 and 2017.
Statistics show that firefighters are more than twice as likely to develop cancer during their lifetime compared to civilians. Sixty-seven percent of firefighters in Boston will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. There are currently 13 members of the Boston Fire Department who are said to be on leave battling cancer.
Despite recent precautionary measure, the number of cancer cases and deaths are said to be rising at an alarming rate.
“These scans will save firefighters lives,” Boston Fire Department Commissioner Joseph Finn said.
The goal of the Boston Fire Department Relief Fund is to subsidize 50 percent of the costs for the tests. To help reach this goal, the Boston Firefighters Credit Union recently announced a 10-year commitment of $250,000 to support the wellness initiative.
“We are honored to support the Boston Fire Department, the Boston Fire Department Relief Fund, and their mission to improve firefighter health and wellness. Occupational-related cancer has deeply affected the Boston Fire Department and the credit union has seen this first hand as we have lost three board members in the past two years to job-related cancer,” Boston Firefighters Credit Union President Bernie Winne said.
The relief fund hopes to help improve firefighter health and wellness by detecting potential problems before they become too big to solve.
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