Determined to turn the tide on 200 deaths from occupational cancer in the past three decades, the Boston Fire Department Relief Fund is aiming to subsidize half the cost of elective full-body health scans and cardiovascular tests for long-term firefighters who’d otherwise pay for the preventative measures out of pocket.
“It’s a big issue and it’s in everyone’s best interest to mitigate this the best we can,” fire Commissioner Joseph E. Finn told the Herald on Monday. “It’s something that’s not going to go away. The best prevention is early detection.”
Eligibility is currently open to the department’s more than 200 firefighters over the age of 50 with 20 or more years of service on the job.
Finn said approximately 22 firefighters have undergone body scans since the fall, when the department also lost firefighter Jaime Galarza Jr., 54, to cancer after 31 years of service to the city, including with Hazmat Special Operations.
“Every one of them had an issue, whether their calcium scores were high or they had the beginning of cancer nodules in their lungs, pancreas or liver,” Finn said of those who voluntarily underwent a scan.
Between 2012 and 2017, 27 active and retired firefighters under the age of 70 were killed by cancer, according to the nonprofit fund. More than a dozen are currently on leave due to a cancer diagnosis. The fund claims that 67 percent of Boston firefighters will face a cancer diagnosis at some point in their lives.
A proliferation of plastics and flame retardants in household furnishings, including computers, are contributing to the problem, Finn believes. He said the department has lost more than 200 firefighters to occupational cancer since 1990.
Absent an established medical necessity, insurance companies are reluctant to pay for body scans, which Finn said typically cost $800 and have been “an out-of-pocket expense to the members.”
“The goal of the Boston Fire Department Relief Fund is to subsidize 50 percent of the costs for important cancer screening and cardiovascular tests not covered (by) insurance,” the fund said in a statement on its website. “Although the dangers of the job will never change, the Relief Fund can help improve firefighter health and wellness by detecting potential problems before they become too big to solve.”
Finn said though the program is open to active-duty firefighters now, the goal was to expand eligibility to include retirees as well.
Battling occupational cancer is “a team sport,” said Finn, who praised the collaborative work of the fund, Boston Firefighters Local 718 and the Boston Firefighters Credit Union.
The fund is now accepting monthly donations to help pay for body scans, starting at $10. More information is available at www.bfdrelief.org.
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