VIDEO: Firefighters are used to putting themselves at risk in the line of duty every day, but the flames arenโt the biggest battle many of them face. โCancer is the number one killer of us so letโs do something proactive, letโs not just wait until our members are diagnosed with cancer when itโs too late, letโs try to stop it and cost wise if you can catch it early it decreases the cost of treatment,โ explained Jake Morgan. Morganโs the President of the Baton Rouge Firefighter Association. Heโs helped pass a new law, Act 554, requiring municipalities throughout the state to cover the costs of cancer screenings for their fire departments. These screenings would start regularly testing firefighters for colon, lung, bladder, oral, thyroid, skin, blood, breast, cervical, testicular, and prostate cancers once theyโve served for three years.
โWeโre trying to prevent unnecessary deaths of our firefighters so hopefully this screening can really curve that to keep our firefighters safe and healthy,โ said Morgan. He said itโs not just their active members theyโre looking out for either. โJust because youโre retired does not mean that you didnโt get the cancer from working on the job as a firefighter,โ explained Morgan. โSo, we were able to get our legislation to follow you through retirement so we can keep detecting the cancer in our members even though theyโre gone.โ
Morgan said a $395,000 contract has already been worked out between their healthcare providers and the East Baton Rouge City-Parish. It will be presented at Metro Council this Wednesday and, if approved in July, their firefighters will start those free screenings September 1. โItโs a big deal, itโs not a cheap test but itโs necessary when youโre talking about lives,โ said Morgan. Act 554 is one of the first of its kind in the country. The International Association of Firefighters is working to pass something similar on the federal level this year.
