When the call for help comes in, fire fighters at the Wilmington Fire Department don’t hesitate to hope on their engine and get to the scene.
January is dedicated as Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month. Cancer is a leading cause of death among fire fighters. That’s why the mission of the International Association of Fire Fighters and Firefighter Cancer Support Network is to reduce the number of men and women getting cancer in the fire service.
It’s a rigorous job that comes with risks and dangers, but Lt. Alex Fantauzzi says they are trained for anything that comes their way, including protecting themselves from getting cancer.
“Times have changed and like materials in houses have changed. [It] used to be a lot of lumber and actual cotton. Now, it’s a lot of synthetic materials. So, in general, fires have a lot more dangerous chemicals in them. So, anytime we go into a structure, we’re exposed to a lot of those through absorption of our skin,” Fantauzzi said.