BALTIMORE — Baltimore firefighters face a significantly higher risk of esophageal cancer and now, their union is offering a potentially life-saving screening to catch it early.
Baltimore Fire Officers Union to hold screenings to check for cancer
The Baltimore Fire Officers Union is holding a clinic this week providing a non-invasive test to detect esophageal cancer.
Union leaders say firefighters are at a 62 percent higher risk of developing the disease due to the nature of their job.
The goal of the screening is early detection, as the cancer is often not found until it's in its late stages.
"If you're given the opportunity to do screenings like this, this isn't normal. Your normal doctor won't write for this test and often [not] until it's too late. So these screenings are really important and can find things early that can then be treated," Michael Hudson, Baltimore Fire Officers Local 964 said.
Another testing session is scheduled for tomorrow from 8 to 4 at the Union Hall on Linwood Avenue.
The union also plans to return in a few months to test more active-duty members and retirees.
