WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Firefighters around the country put their lives at risk every day when responding to fires. However, firefighters say the biggest risk is the long-term effects of the job.
"It is common to assume that fire is the most dangerous thing that we encounter, but actually, nearly 70 percent of line-of-duty deaths are caused by cancer and not the other hazards we face," said Stephen Yonkin, a Williamsport firefighter.
"Sometimes we feel like we are living on borrowed time, and we really don't know what we have," said Williamsport firefighter Greg Delany.
Firefighters at the Williamsport Bureau of Fire are seeing it first-hand for many of their retired and active coworkers.
"A lot of them are coming up with some form of occupational cancer. I would say around the mark of two dozen, which doesn't sound like a lot, but for a small department like us, that is a huge number," Delany said.
Because of this, the station in Williamsport is now asking for donations to pay for cancer screenings for firefighters.
"These tests would allow us to test our current and retired firefighters for cancer that might not otherwise be detectable for years," Yonkin explained.
Right now, firefighters' city health insurance only covers screenings after a firefighter becomes symptomatic or can show cause, and in many cases, that's too late.
"They should not be doomed to this fate of cancer because they spent 20 years of their life helping their community," Yonkin added.
You can donate to help Williamsport's firefighters on their PayPal account here.