We are no strangers to this ourselves, as we've lost good people to cancer in our mountain area fire departments as well.
It is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. There is simply no way around it.
But new studies are revealing a concerning trend among our nation's heroes: skyrocketing cancer rates.
It's a story that's becoming more common among American firefighters, as years of exposure to modern building materials begin to catch up.
Today's homes are filled with plastics and asbestos, which produce dangerous carcinogens and toxins when burned. The dramatic impact of these toxins has only recently been discovered.