VIDEO: The Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) is offering free health screenings to ensure the well-being of uniformed personnel who deal with the hazards of firefighting. “There are all kinds of exposures that we’re possibly encountering when we go into a structure fire or when we fight a brush fire,” explained Capt. Brent Dillabaugh. “Ultimately, it’s important because we want our members to have a long, healthy career and be able to work into a healthy retirement.” The department received a grant in 2021 to fund four types of screenings, which are exclusive to firefighters and other uniformed personnel from the fire department:
- Ultrasound cancer screening
- Heavy metal testing
- Cardiac calcium scan
- Functional movement screening
Eighty-percent of the department has been screened for 50 different types of cancer since last year, according to HFD. Firefighter Ben Bright, 49, has been with the department for two decades. He said he’s thankful for the health screening, especially since cancer took his father’s life when Bright was in college. “I have a pretty young family. I have three boys and a wife, and I want to be around them for as long as possible,” said Bright. “This is just a way for all of us to be healthier and to catch any problems early.”
Fastletics, a sports performance business based in Kapaa, will conduct movement screenings for the firefighters. “It’s seven functional movements that we’re going to be running these guys through,” said Austin Pang Kee, who runs Fastletics with his father. “It’s also paired with movements that test for pains in certain joints.” Pang Kee said that if the firefighters have difficulty doing specific movements, such as squats or upper-body exercises, it would show where the firefighter is restricted.
