Helene Winn of 15-40 Connection talks to Shrewsbury Firefighters about the importance of early cancer detection. (Credits: 15-40 Connection.)
This week, the Shrewsbury Fire Department participated in a class about Cancer prevention by the nonprofit organization 15-40 Connection. The two-day course took place on Monday, June 25th and Tuesday, June 25th at the Shrewsbury Fire HQ, where they learned the cancer risks associated with career firefighters and the preventive measures to be taken in order to assess an early detection. According to the National Fire Protection Association, 61% of career firefighters will die of cancer and its considered the leading cause of firefighter deaths in the United States. Carcinogenic agents and chemicals caused by quicker growing fires are spreading in higher concentrations, to which firefighters are in regular exposure, and budgetary cuts and lack of volunteering increases the time of exposure due to the limited number of firefighters available.
“This training is vital in educating our firefighters about the inherent dangers of occupational cancer in the fire service, and I would like to thank Bob [Ljunggren] and Helene [Winn] for providing such valuable information. In addition to training programs such as these, we are taking as many necessary precautions as we can at the fire station and on our apparatus to protect our crews and help them have long, healthy lives even after retirement.”
—Shrewsbury Fire Chief Jim Vuona.
Shrewsbury Firefighter Bob Ljunggren and Helene Winn from 15-40 Connection led the course. This nonprofit focuses on the importance of early detection of warning signs of cancer, and during the course she spoke about them at length. While she explained that any exposure to carcinogenic agents is harmful, early detection can increase the chance of survival by 90%. Among the things Winn explained during the course was that most common cancer symptoms begin with a subtle and persistent health change, lasting for 2 weeks or more. It’s recommended for firefighters to keep a close eye to their health and to call a doctor in case they notice a change.
“Unfortunately, you can do everything right, take every preventative measure possible, and you can still get cancer.”
—Helene Winn, 15-40 Connection.
To know more about early cancer signs, how to assess them and overall prevention, 15-40 Connection has material available on their official site here.
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