BOARDMAN — The township is home to the county’s first-responder wellness center, and now the township’s officials are taking another step to ensure first responder wellness.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Boardman Township Trustees approved a motion to fund cutting-edge cancer screenings for Boardman’s firefighters, a move that led IAFF Local 1176 President Brian Hallquist to publicly thank the board. The firefighters union also issued a news release to that effect.

“I am confident these tests will help detect early cancer cells to allow our firefighters to get early treatment and give them a positive outcome,” he said. “On behalf of myself, the Boardman firefighters and their families, I want to thank you guys for allowing these funds to be made available to get us the testing we need to be safe. Thank you.”

Hallquist said he and fire Chief Mark Pitzer have been discussing the testing for years, but had not been able to get traction with the proposal. He said much of that seemed to change with the death of Lt. Tom Donadee, who succumbed to occupational cancer in December.

He said two other Boardman firefighters besides Donadee contracted cancer within the past nine years. While they survived, the illness drove both into early retirement. He also noted that a 43-year-old firefighter in the Cincinnati area died of occupational cancer last week.

Hallquist said new Township Administrator Mark Ragozine seemed particularly excited about the idea when the union chief pitched it.

“It was something that really struck a chord with me, sort of near and dear to my heart. I’ve always had an affinity for safety services,” said Ragozine, who served as Girard’s safety service director before taking the position with Boardman in April. “The work that fire and police departments do out there every day…just to identify a mechanism in which we can make a difference in the lives of those employees, those folks that are out there supporting the community and really being there for us on a day-to-day basis. We had that opportunity. We worked to make it happen pretty quickly.”

Pitzer said the department has an arrangement with University Hospitals to come to the department and perform blood draws for Galleri cancer screenings. The tests can detect trace amounts of cancer DNA in the blood, allowing doctors to detect many cancers before symptoms develop and, in many cases, before tumors even form. The Galleri test can detect 50 types of cancer, including 12 of the most aggressive forms.

“Cancer has become at the forefront of the fire service across the country,” Pitzer said. “Through studies, through research, we’ve identified that firefighters are, in some cases, three to four times more likely to develop cancer than the average person.”

He and Hallquist explained that firefighters are exposed to ever more toxic fumes and chemicals in their line of work. Modern products made of plastic burn hotter and their fumes are extremely toxic, Pitzer said.

Hallquist said even the protective gear firefighters wear does not protect them from exposure.

“A lot of it’s the skin absorption, through your neck and groin areas, feet… your fire gear is on, but it is absorbing that stuff into your skin as well,” he said. He said esophageal, stomach, prostate and various other cancers are closely linked with firefighters’ exposure risks.

The screenings will be done on a three-year cycle. The department will test 13 firefighters this year, all 50 and above because of their age and cumulative years of exposure. Next year, those over 40 will be screened, and the year after those 39 and below.

Pitzer said the $8,437 cost of this year’s screenings was made available after Ragozine found savings in the township’s healthcare plan, negotiating the expected rate increase down from 30% to 18%.

Pitzer also thanked the board for making the money available and taking the issue seriously. He said that in addition to the health and safety of the township’s firefighters, the move makes sound financial sense for Boardman as well because early diagnosis lowers healthcare costs while improving outcomes.

One blood test costs about $650, but treating later-stage cancers can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“Long-term, it’s going to save the township money,” he said. “If we can detect something early on and get them treatment, it’s going to save on all our healthcare costs.”

Pitzer said UH is charging the department only for the cost of each test, providing the blood draws and on-site staffing at no additional cost. He said Boardman is the only local department offering the screenings, but he hopes others soon follow.