JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind., (WHAS11) -- A Jeffersonville firefighter is opening up about his recent cancer diagnosis, hoping to reach firefighters across Kentuckiana before they're faced with the same battle.
This week, we've talked about the jaw-dropping numbers of firefighters who've fallen to cancer - a risk many weren't aware was related to the job. This is the fifth story in our series, The Battle After the Blaze, though the conversation is only just beginning.
"I was one of those younger guys who thought I was invincible. Nothing's ever going to happen to me," Jeffersonville Fire's Deputy Chief Bruce DeArk said.
DeArk knows better now. He's in his 18th year with the Jeffersonville Fire Department, and manages 83 men and women, many with the same mentality he once had.
"It's something you really don't think about much until it gets you," another Jeffersonville firefighter said.
Cancer is the biggest and deadliest threat to the fire service, growing out of control. It's a link to more than 60 percent of firefighter deaths across the country. Years of exposure to carcinogens are likely to blame.
"It's still a shock to me to hear the words," DeArk said.
DeArk was approaching his 50th birthday, when he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.
"You hear those terms and you always think the worst," he said.
Instead, he faced the disease like any other day on the job.
"We've told the doctor from day one, we're ready to fight. You tell us what to do," DeArk said.
He's stayed positive and spends many days preaching prevention to anyone who will listen.
"You can have all the tools you need but it's up to the person to use those tools to protect yourself," DeArk said.
Protections include getting scrubbed from head to toe at the scene of every fire before you leave and changing into a second set of clean gear when you return to the station. There are eleven new practices in all.
For DeArk, cancer screenings are top of the list.
"We had a lot of guys get colonoscopies this year that may or may not have had them before my diagnosis," he said.
Many of the cancers are showing up in later stages, without warning. DeArk went to the hospital when he felt pain around his abdomen, believing it might be appendicitis. That's when doctors found the cancer.
"I don't know if I could've done anything different to detect what I had. There's nothing that would've made me go sooner," DeArk said.
The most concerning part is firefighters are getting diagnosed in their 30's and 40's, well before the recommended screening at age 50.
Local departments are doing their best to fund screenings regardless of age, but the budget is another battle, forcing many departments to pick and choose between wellness exams and better equipment.
It's even harder for volunteers, who make up a majority of the fire service. There are more than 1.1 million firefighters in the U.S. More than 800,000 are volunteers.
"They have to pay to keep the lights on and fuel for the truck," Dr. Jamie Cripps, a Highview firefighter said.
The topic is fueling conversations at the state and federal level, where funding is determined.
"You can be real passionate about something until it's time to pay," Joe Hurt, Jeffersonville's union president said.
Hurt says if you want to make a difference, make a donation or pick up the phone.
"Ask your representatives, your city council members, your mayors, your state reps and senators, 'how do you feel about firefighters and cancer prevention? And are you willing to put your money where your mouth is?'" Hurt asked.
Local fire departments will tell you the cost to prevent cancer is far less than the cost to fight it.
It's a fight Chief DeArk is ready to win.
"I am here for a reason, to spread this word. I really believe that. I have a lot of life to live."
For more on the #BattleAfterTheBlaze, click here.
You can donate to or sponsor a number of firefighter organizations. Several are listed below:
Firefighter Cancer Support Network - this is the organization you can donate to, to help firefighters directly affected by cancer
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
Its mission is to honor and remember America's fallen heroes, to provide resources to assist their families in rebuilding their lives, and work within the fire service community to reduce deaths and injuries.
International Association of Firefighters (IAFF)
The IAFF provides training, scholarships, and advocacy among other things. It's also one of the most active lobbying organizations in Washington, DC.
Kentucky Firefighters Association
Indiana Firefighters Association
You can also donate to your local fire department. Speak to the fire chief or another administrator to find out what's accepted.
►Contact reporter Brooke Hasch at bhasch@whas11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Hasch) and Facebook.