HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — We all know firefighters risk their lives to save people in dangerous situations.
However, a lifetime of battling fires can put some firefighters in a dangerous situation when it comes to their own health.
Here in Tennessee some proposed changes to law may help firefighters who develop cancer as a result of their service.
"I came from the business world, I had a lot of really good jobs that I just wasn't happy with," said Zach King, a firefighter with the Hendersonville Fire Department.
King became a firefighter in his mid-30s, it was clearly the right fit.
"This is the best job I've ever had, I love it, I love coming to work every day it's worth it to help people on their worst days," King said.
He's been with the Hendersonville Fire Department for the past six years.
He's been risking harm to save others, but the life-threatening danger he faces doesn't stop when the fire is out.
“So last year alone, 74 percent of the deaths in the fire service were related to cancer. And again, that's an astronomical number,” said Fire Chief Scotty Bush, with the Hendersonville Fire Department.
That statistic hits home for folks in Hendersonville, this past winter they lost beloved firefighter Captain Don Dallenbach after decades of service.
“Don worked his whole life here, dedicated his life to everyone here, in the organization and in the community, and at the time that he's considering retirement, he was diagnosed with cancer," Bush said. "58 days later, he passed away from pancreatic cancer.”
That loss is helping inspire an effort to change the Barry Brady Act, a law that helps firefighters who suffer from cancer linked to their jobs.
The change would allow the law to cover more types of cancer, so firefighters could get help.
"They're adding pancreatic, prostate, and breast cancer to the already established bill," Bush said.
According to Bush, it would cover both those still on the job and a few years into retirement.
Hendersonville Fire Department also has strict protocols to clean and alternate gear, and reduce the cancer risk the best they can.
"There's always a risk of having contaminants on the clothes," King said.
King has even paid for preemptive body scans to detect cancer early.
While there may be no one way to entirely eliminate the risk of cancer for firefighters, this change could help one fallen firefighter carry on his legacy of saving lives.
“We've always done cancer screens as part of our yearly physicals," Bush said. "His wish was for us to push forward with more enhanced testing.”
According to Fire Chief Bush, the proposed changes to the Brady Act have received unanimous support in committee meetings in the Tennessee Legislature.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
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