Photo: Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group
Every day, firefighters are exposed to cancer-causing chemicals; 66% of line-of-duty firefighter deaths from 2002 to 2019 were caused by cancer. “The job just puts people in positions that are going to put them at risk,” said Hayward Fire Department Deputy Chief Ryan Hamre. His department has partnered with Redwood City-based biotech company Prenuvo to offer early detection full-body MRI scans to firefighters. The inspiration was HFD Captain Steve Holt, who died of cancer on Nov. 29, 2017 after 30 years’ work. “I was 22 when I got hired here, and none of this was on my mind,” said Captain Andrew Ghali. “But then, as you start to mature and you get older and you understand the risk, and you have three kids and a wife that depend on you, and you want to see them grow up, and you want to have a long, happy life with your family.”
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