As cancer awareness increases, departments have sought grants for latest equipment and have emphasized safe practices to reduce hazards.
Mark Resanovich started fighting fires in 1978.
He retired from the Green Fire Department in 2012 and began fighting cancer two years later. Mantle cell lymphoma, a rare white blood cell cancer, nearly took his life.
“But I survived, and after two and a half years of treatment, I’m finished, and I’m in complete remission,” Resanovich said.
The rest of his life will involve blood work and follow-up doctor visits. It also has involved speaking about firefighters’ higher rate of cancer than the general public and ways to reduce the risk.