First responders face many risks, but for firefighters especially there is real concern about the risk of cancer.
“Firefighters are at an increased risk for some types of cancer. Since 2015, over 70 percent of line of duty deaths has been because of cancer,” said Natasha Schaefer Solle, Ph.D., who is the Co-Deputy Director for the Firefighter Cancer Initiative with the University of Miami’s Sylvester Cancer Center. On Wednesday, Dr. Schaefer Solle and her team were at Hialeah’s Fire Station 1 to screen firefighters there for cancer.
“We’ve actually had a clinic for the last two years, and because of the feedback of firefighters of bringing the services to them, because of their work schedule, we really took it to heart, and now we are at the stations with them,” said Dr. Schaefer Solle.