They are the heroes we call when we need help. But firefighters need some help of their own.
They are getting cancer at a high rate because of the elements they are exposed to. âWe have a 9% higher chance than the general public of getting cancer, and we have a 14% greater risk of dying of those cancers,â said Mark Munson, a captain with St. Paul Fire Department.
Two years ago, a fellow St. Paul firefighter died from cancer he got on the job, and earlier this month, an Albert Lea firefighter died of cancer also linked to on the job exposure.
Munson says itâs become too common.
âThe names are just coming,â he said.
After years of battling blazes, Monson is now fighting to keep his peers alive. Munson got a big idea from the uniform hoods firefighters use that cover the head and neck. Munson felt like there were other parts of their body that needed protection, specifically high exposure areas like underarms and groin.
âI thought, why arenât we protecting those areas?â he said.
