It’s the deadlier than fire, on-the-job danger every firefighter faces - cancer. The CDC has found cancer is now the leading cause of death among firefighters, and the World Health Organization has now defined firefighting as a cancer-causing profession.
In May 2021, News 13 debuted its investigative documentary Deadlier than Fire, focusing on the need for presumptive worker’s compensation benefits for North Carolina firefighters diagnosed with cancer. Now, News 13 has gotten an exclusive look at an app that helps connect firefighters with potentially lifesaving data through a new cancer-exposure tracking component.
“It’s more than a career, Mike Marshall said, flipping back through a photo album of his time working for Asheville Fire Department.
It’s been 17 years since the former captain retired.
“It’s just a brotherhood, it’s a bond,” Marshall said.