MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The City of Morgantown used a $57,000 grant to screen Morgantown firefighters for cancer.
The screenings took place from Monday, December 4 through Thursday, December 7, 2023 and included multi-cancer early detection blood testing and comprehensive diagnostic ultrasounds for early diagnosis and treatment of occupational cancers.
Statistics show firefighters are disproportionately affected by occupational cancer and it is the number one cause of firefighters’ line-of-duty deaths.
“Cancer is the number one killer of firefighters. It used to be heart disease… but now cancer is the number one killer,” said Jayson Nicewarner, a lieutenant with the Morgantown Fire Department. “Firefighters are 9% more likely to get cancer than the general population, and 14% more likely to die from cancer than the general population.”
The grant came from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and the screenings were done by GRAIL and United Diagnostic Services, LLC.