CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — This Friday, August 2nd will be 4 years since Chattanooga Senior Firefighter Chad Crisp died of cancer.
We spoke to his wife Leah Crisp about the importance of cancer screenings for firefighters to help catch and prevent the disease as soon as possible.
The Chattanooga City Council approved on Tuesday a request by the Chattanooga Fire Department for a state grant that would provide more money for those cancer screenings.
Back in 2020 and shortly after his death, Crisp’s name was added to the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in Colorado Springs.
“He was given 2 months to live and he lived 20 months.”
Senior firefighter Chad Crisp, husband to Leah and father to Lake and Honey, was 41 years old when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Esophageal Cancer.
“According to his doctor, they had not seen that fast of a growth in that type of cancer ever, which led them to agree that it was job related and exposure related,” Crisp says.
Leah says that on the outside, he appeared to be the ‘picture of health.’
“They know going in that this is a dangerous job, but you don’t think cancer is what’s going to happen. You think ‘I could break my leg?’ ‘Oh, I could, you know, something could follow me. I could hurt my back.’ But all of those things are survivable. But a stage four cancer diagnosis usually is not,” Crisp says.
Captain Keith Liles, Vice President of the Chattanooga Fire Fighters Association Local 820, says firefighters are constantly surrounded by cancer causing chemicals.
“Even the gear that we wear is impregnated with PFAS chemicals. And as we’re fighting fire, and our pores open up, and we start sweating, and that the material starts to heat, it can get to where our bodies can absorb it,” Capt. Liles says.
The Chattanooga City Council just approved a request this week for the fire department to get money for additional cancer screenings through a state grant.
Chip Henderson, Chattanooga City Council Chair (District 1), says…
“It’s just a much more thorough screening that will provide an early detection and let us know if some of our firefighters are perhaps susceptible, or, you know, prone, to some of these diseases.”
Currently, Chattanooga firefighters have yearly physicals, and when screened for cancer, a chest x-ray is done.
Captain Liles says with the additional funds, screenings will go beyond that.
“Ultrasound on areas of the body for bladder cancer, things like that. We can do nail trimmings to test the nail beds and or test the growth of the fingernails. And if there’s any detection there, blood draws are paramount to test in that area,” Capt. Liles says.
Leah says that prevention is the key, and anything that can be done to increase the frequency and thoroughness of cancer screenings could help save a firefighter’s life.
“Both emotionally, financially, we’ve been provided for. We work through every day, but the loss is something that you don’t let go of, but you do move forward,” Crisp says.
Captain Liles says firefighters that are diagnosed with cancer early can have up a 90-percent chance of survival.
He says things like special washing machines for gear in stations, and having 2-sets of turnout gear can also help lower exposure.
The city provided new turnout gear 6 years ago.