NEW ORLEANS — For New Orleans firefighters, battling flames is a visible part of the job. With it comes a less visible and potentially deadly battle.
“The actual procedure takes less than three minutes to do,” said one of the screening administrators.
That procedure, a new FDA-approved screen for esophageal cancer, had firefighters showing up to the fire station on Magazine St. Tuesday.
“We have them swallow the capsule. It goes down to the base of their esophagus. We take a little sample. We come right back up,” said a screening administrator.
“Just a small little discomfort, funny feeling, but it’s not bad at all,” said New Orleans Fire Fighter Association president Aaron Mischler after getting the procedure done.
Mischler says the quick screening is a chance for firefighters to focus on their own health.
“We’re not really thinking about ourselves when we’re out on the streets doing our job. It’s to get the job done and to help other people. That’s what we signed up for,” said Mischler.
Doing the job can mean breathing in smoke and unknown carcinogens. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health firefighters have a nine percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer than the general population. For esophageal cancer, it’s 62 percent.
“As a community, we need to do everything that we can to ensure their safety just like they ensure ours,” said New Orleans EMS medical director Dr. Meg Marino.
Dr. Marino says the test is billed through insurance and has no out-of-pocket cost for firefighters. Once completed, samples are sent off for testing to determine whether pre-cancer exists.
“If we can catch it at that stage, we can actually completely eradicate it before it develops into esophageal cancer,” said Dr. Marino.
By mid-afternoon Tuesday, nearly a hundred firefighters had gotten screened.
“You want to be around for your family for long into the future, so early detection is the key to where it’s at,” said Mischler.
The screening event continues on Wednesday.
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