LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — At just 25 years old, Alex Wilbur received a diagnosis he couldn't fathom.
After a screening in February, doctors told the Lexington firefighter and paramedic he had thyroid cancer.
"That's a pretty hard shock to hear at 25. Feeling good, completely asymptomatic, no history of thyroid issues or anything like that," Wilbur said.
Unfortunately, Wilbur's story is not uncommon. Federal data shows firefighters are at an elevated risk of cancer.
A study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found firefighters were 9% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and 14% more likely to experience a cancer-related death.
According to the International Association of Fire Fighters, cancer caused 66% of line-of-duty deaths among career firefighters between 2002 and 2019.
"It's not wood anymore that houses are made out of, it's plastics and all these different things that are cancer-causing substances," said Bruce Roberts, interim director of the Kentucky Fire Commission.
Roberts said in the last eight years, 33 names have been added to the Kentucky Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Frankfort because of cancer.
"We're out there doing a service. We're out there trying to protect the public and we need all the protection that we can get, and hopefully we can slow this progress down," he said.
Groups like the Kentucky Fire Commission and Kentucky Professional Firefighters have been working with lawmakers to keep those diagnoses from becoming fatal by offering early and regular cancer screenings.
This year, House Bill 323 passed in the state legislature and was signed into law by Governor Andy Beshear. The law allows the Kentucky Fire Commission to establish a reimbursement program for firefighters to receive a cancer screening.
Joe Baer, president of Kentucky Professional Firefighters, was one of many fighting for such a bill in Frankfort.
"We want to eliminate these line of duty deaths and if we can detect these cancers early, a lot of times, years before any symptoms prevail, then hopefully we can save these folks' lives and actually get them back where they can finish their career," Baer said.
The law, however, did not immediately provide funding for the screenings. It just allowed for the framework to be built. Now, advocates are set to press lawmakers to allocate funding for the program in the upcoming legislative session.
"They're laying their lives on the line for the public every day. And the least we can do is try to provide some kind of protection to them," Baer said.
