AURORA | Doctors may not screen a healthy young person for cancer during an annual checkup, but it could save a firefighter’s life.
Cancer is the leading cause of death in the fire service, but that’ll hopefully change, at least locally, through a new partnership between the Medical Center of Aurora and Potomac Primary Care that offers comprehensive health care specifically tailored to men and women who are at a 13% greater risk of dying from cancer than the general public, according to the International Association of Firefighters.
The Firefighter Wellness And Cancer Screening Program will offer primary care to firefighters, plus specialty services like cancer and cardiac screenings, mental health resources and nutritionists who can tailor diets to a firefighter’s lifestyle.
The goal is to be a one-stop-shop, said Amie Shea, the oncology program manager at the Medical Center of Aurora who got the program off the ground.
“This program is really designed to provide continuous wellness,” Shea said.
That can be difficult for a firefighter. Long shifts and a busy lifestyle can mean there’s little time to seek out additional care, like cancer screenings. But through Potomac Primary Care and the hospital, that’ll already be built in to a doctor’s visit.
A group of firefighters, physicians and local leaders spent more than a year designing the program. Some hope it will be a model for the rest of the country and through the HealthOne network be available in other communities in Colorado in the future, too.
Dr. Eric Hill, the medical director for Aurora Fire Rescue, Falck Rocky Mountain Ambulance and seven other Fire Districts along the east I-70 corridor, knows the dangers of being a firefighter well. He was a volunteer firefighter for seven years in Boulder County before heading to medical school in 2002.
“Back then the thoughts around cancer risk were very different than what we have today. For the most part safety conversations were primarily about the gear and procedures. We were really worried about burns and smoke inhalation,” Hill said.
Now it’s carcinogens that present the biggest threat to a firefighter’s health and safety. A firefighter might be exposed to up to 84,000 of them at a fire, Aurora Chief Fernando Grey told Aurora City Council members in 2018, when the city council approved a second set of bunker gear for all firefighters.
“Having a dirty set of bunker gear was a badge of honor for a young firefighter,” Hill said.
But now firefighters know going on multiple calls without cleaning or changing gear can be cancerous. Catching it early is vital.
“An ounce of prevention is worth all the money in the world,” Hill said. “This will be a cost-saving measure for health care in the long run.”
There’s also an opportunity that the program can be good for policy, said Aurora City Council member Allison Hiltz, who spearheaded the measure for the additional bunker gear a few years ago. She also worked with the group that developed the health care program.
She envisions a doctor’s visit being a good place to get firefighters to complete questionnaires about their workplace so that lawmakers can develop better public safety policy later down the road.
“Firefighters sacrifice their physical, emotional, and mental health in service to their residents and deserve robust support and care. The cancer screenings and early diagnosis, in particular, will go towards saving lives and will impact firefighters and their families today and for generations to come,” she said. “I’m looking forward to working with these providers to learn how the data collected can help inform our own cancer prevention and mitigation policies at the city level.”
The program launches Thursday with a virtual seminar. Register for the event here.