Governor Declares January as Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month

07:33AM / Saturday, January 10, 2026Print Story | Email Story

STOW, Mass. — Governor Maura Healey has declared January to be Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month in Massachusetts, joining the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, International Association of Fire Fighters, and fire service agencies around the world to promote cancer awareness, prevention, and early detection in the fire service all month long.

"Firefighters face a higher risk of developing cancer, developing it earlier in life, receiving a later cancer diagnosis, and losing their lives to cancer," Governor Healey's proclamation reads. "Raising awareness of cancer risks and promoting best practices in cancer prevention can help protect our firefighters from this insidious disease and enjoy long, healthy, and happy lives."

State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine said that nearly 1,400 firefighters took part in free occupational cancer screenings through the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services in 2025 – a record for the DFS Firefighter Cancer Program.

Because firefighters are at greater risk of developing certain types of cancer than the public they protect, the Department of Fire Services coordinates free skin cancer screenings, chest CT scans, PSA blood tests, ultrasounds, and mammograms for eligible firefighters through the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. Skin cancer screenings are performed by volunteer dermatologists, while the other screenings are performed by contracted vendors across the state.

"Whether you're a call, volunteer, or career firefighter, active duty or retired, these programs are available at no cost to you or your department," State Fire Marshal Davine said. "The worst cancer diagnosis is a late one, so please take advantage of them."

The number of firefighter cancer screenings provided through the program nearly doubled from 2024 to 2025, State Fire Marshal Davine said. Skin cancer screenings, which have been offered since 2018, rose from 612 to 785. Newer programs saw sharper increases: CT scans increased from 99 to 168; PSA blood tests from 44 to 160; ultrasounds from 91 to 255; and mammograms from two to nine.

"This may be due to increased familiarity with the screening options, or the steps we took to make them more accessible, or word of mouth in the fire service," said State Fire Marshal Davine. "Whatever the reason, it's a great result and we want to see those numbers continue climbing. Do it for yourself, do it for your family, or do it for your career – just do it!"

Also in 2025, the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy rolled out a new instructor-led cancer awareness presentation in partnership with the Firefighter Cancer Support Network. The new presentation, "Doing it Right: Reducing Cancer in the Fire Service," updates an earlier cancer prevention program and highlights cancer prevention best practices on and off the job. It also promotes the benefits of early detection through screenings and awareness of baseline health. So far this year, the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy has delivered it to about 600 new recruits, about 50 chiefs and senior officers, and about 230 firefighters at various ranks in between. Another 25 firefighters have taken a train-the-trainer course that empowers them to deliver the presentation effectively at local and regional fire departments.

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Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

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