BATON ROUGE - Battling flames and putting others first is a major part of the job for firefighters. But alongside that, there's a quieter, potentially deadly challenge. Now, firefighters have access to advanced technology for efficient cancer screening.

This week, Baton Rouge firefighters are taking their turn at being screened for esophageal cancer. 

It's one of the deadliest cancers, and firefighters have a 62% higher risk of developing it.

Jake Morgan, President of the Baton Rouge Professional Firefighter Association, emphasized that these screenings are crucial for firefighters who face daily risks in their line of duty.

“It's a known fact that we develop cancer. The fires we go in, the stuff we breathe on the job potentially causes cancer in our firefighters. We're exposed to carcinogenic chemicals anytime something is on fire, so it increases our risk of developing cancer early on," Morgan said. “So this particular cancer, we're screening our guys younger than the average population just because of what we're exposed to on the day-to-day job." 

Nationwide, there is a massive effort to lower the risk of cancer in the fire service.

“It starts from the gear we wear now. It has significantly improved the decontamination procedures we do after fires before we get back in the truck. The idea is to limit your exposure," Morgan said.

Now, testing for esophageal cancer has become easier as technology advances.

This device has been used for routine screenings since 2020. 

“Firefighters swallow a small device that's about the size of a large vitamin, with a tube connected to it. The tube goes down, they take a sample, then the tube comes up. It's a quick and easy process but from that they're able to determine if the firefighter can potentially develop cancer, or worst-case scenario, has cancer, then we can get GI specialists involved to properly treat our firefighters," Morgan said.

The test is sent off for DNA testing to determine whether any cells are pre-cancerous.  

Firefighters can then undergo treatment.