Oklahoma House to consider bill to provide free cancer screenings for firefighters

A House committee Monday unanimously voted to advance legislation that would provide free cancer screenings for current and former firefighters.

The “Fighting Chance for Firefighters Act,” by Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, requires that any medical and surgical plan offered by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services provide free annual occupational cancer screenings. The screenings must include breast, colon, lung, prostate, skin and testicular screenings.

House Bill 3573 also applies to volunteer firefighters.

Pae said each cancer screening typically costs about $250. About 26,000 current and former firefighters would be eligible. He said the measure has an estimated annual cost of $6 million if every eligible firefighter participated.

“We know that firefighters are at a high risk of developing cancer (with) everything they’re exposed to on the job, so ultimately this was to help save their lives,” he said.

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Mike Kelley, executive director of the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association, said the Cancer Centers of Southwest Oklahoma, which has locations in Altus, Lawton and Duncan, began the initiative after Altus’ fire chief died of cancer. The cancer center offered to provide free screenings to all first responders in the region, he said.

Kelley said his group would like to see a similar model offered statewide, though he said he doesn’t know how many firefighters will ultimately utilize the screenings.

He said study after study has shown that firefighters are more susceptible to cancer. He said the firefighting foam they used was cancer causing. Some protective equipment they wore and the fire retardants in it contained cancer-causing agents, he said.

He said a 26-year-old Tulsa firefighter also recently died from cancer.

“I think the people that have had a recent tragedy like Tulsa or Altus are going to be more prone to take advantage of it, but we just want it available for people to take advantage of when these unfortunate incidents occur,” Kelley said.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma bill would provide free cancer screenings to firefighters