VIDEO: Firefighters put everything on the line to protect us, and now more of them are developing cancer.
Cancer is a leading cause of death for firefighters, according to the International Association of Firefighters.
And a growing amount of research shows firefighters are more likely to get cancer diagnoses and to die from cancer than the general public. In 2019, we saw four Valley firefighters die after battles with cancer they were believed to have developed on the job. Those are just the deaths. More firefighters were diagnosed with cancer, including Phoenix Fire Chief Kara Kalkbrenner.
Dr. Pablo Prichard and Dr. Vershalee Shukla with Vincere Cancer Center said the clinic diagnosed 22 firefighters with cancer in 2019.