U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Lansing, today introduced new, bipartisan legislation to provide cancer screenings to federal firefighters at the Department of Defense.
The Federal Fire Fighter Cancer Detection & Prevention Act would provide testing to active-duty and civilian firefighters for prostate, colorectal, and breast cancer as part of their annual Department of Defense physicals. The testing required by the legislation would be triggered by age thresholds later in firefighters’ careers – their 40s and 50s, when screenings for these cancers are generally recommended, as well as if a firefighter exhibits symptoms or is a high-risk individual. Most testing would occur only a few times during the last 10 years of a firefighter’s career.
The bipartisan bill is co-led by Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, and is endorsed by the International Association of Fire Fighters.
“Our firefighters charge headfirst into the flames to keep their communities safe, exposing themselves to dangerous toxins in the process. That’s why it’s on all of us to make sure they’re receiving the proper medical care they’ve earned,” said Slotkin in a release. “This bipartisan bill is an important step towards making sure our Department of Defense firefighters are receiving essential preventative screenings for things like prostate, colorectal, and breast cancer. And because the screenings are optional and incorporated into standard Department of Defense physicals, they won’t add any undue burden on patients. I look forward to working with my Democratic and Republican colleagues to get this important bill over the finish line.”
