STOW — Massachusetts State Fireplace Marshal Jon M. Davine stated right now that the Division of Fireplace Companies has added mammograms to the complement of free, early-detection most cancers screenings accessible to Massachusetts firefighters.
“Firefighters are at better threat of creating most cancers, creating it at youthful ages, and receiving a late prognosis than the general public they shield,” stated State Fireplace Marshal Davine. “This contains the rising variety of ladies firefighters in Massachusetts and throughout the nation. As we kick off Breast Most cancers Consciousness Month, we’re proud to announce that we’ve added mammograms to the array of free most cancers screening choices we provide to Massachusetts firefighters.”
An April 2023 article in Frontiers in Public Well being discovered that breast most cancers accounted for greater than 25% of most cancers diagnoses amongst ladies firefighters who took half in a 2019-2020 survey. Most of those circumstances had been found when searching for medical look after signs moderately than throughout routine or cancer-specific screening.
In 2022, almost 75% of the names added to the IAFF Fallen Fireplace Fighters Memorial represented occupational most cancers deaths. The medical health insurance accessible to firefighters usually doesn’t cowl most cancers screenings on the age or frequency acceptable to their threat, if in any respect. To handle this critical well being concern, the Division of Fireplace Companies works with volunteers and contracted distributors by way of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy to supply pores and skin most cancers and oral most cancers screenings to any firefighter, and chest computed tomography (CT) scans and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood assessments to eligible firefighters. DFS has added mammograms and ultrasounds to those choices in Fiscal Yr 2024.
“Most cancers consciousness, prevention, and early detection are key survival instruments for firefighters,” State Fireplace Marshal Davine stated. “For those who’re working in or retired from the fireplace service, please discuss to your major care supplier about your elevated threat of most cancers. And in case you’re a medical skilled, please familiarize your self with the grave threat that occupational most cancers poses to your firefighter sufferers.”
To study extra in regards to the free most cancers screenings accessible to Massachusetts firefighters, and for extra info on occupational most cancers for fireplace service and medical professionals, go to the Division of Fireplace Companies’ Occupational Most cancers within the Fireplace Service web page.
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