Firefighters are at an elevated risk of getting the deadly skin cancer, melanoma. In fact they are three times more likely to get it than the general population. That’s according to a recent study.
But now cutting-edge technology has just arrived in Tucson to help protect our first responders.
“The first time you hear somebody say you have cancer – it’s definitely a shocking thing,” Northwest Fire Deputy Chief, Ryder Hartley said.
After 17 years as a firefighter with the Northwest District, Ryder Hartley has been treated four times for Basal cell skin cancer.
“That's a scar on the side of my neck,” Hartley said.
However, it is not just from sun exposure. With fires burning hotter and faster now as more homes are built with synthetic materials, chemicals are released and can seep through the cloth on their helmets.