HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- There are 14,000 firefighters in Virginia. Everyday they risk their lives entering buildings on fire, trying to save anyone trapped inside.
The flames and smoke they can clearly see, but what they can't is how it is affecting their health, and for some, how it is killing them.
The legacy of Battalion Fire Chief Jeff Phipps remains strong two and a half years after his death , with his family encouraging other firefighters to get colonoscopies.
Phipps' wife of 26 years, Carolyn, says her husband had a love affair with his time in the fire service.
"He lived and breathed firefighting, it was just, that was his thing," Carolyn said.
Phipps became a fire cadet at 14 years old, and when Hanover County hired their first full-time firefighters, Phipps was one of them.
As he rose through the ranks to battalion chief, Phipps also managed to keep up with his health.
"He turned 50 and that’s when you go get your colonoscopy normally," Carolyn said.
The day he received the exam, was also the day that changed his life and his family's.
“The day he was eligible for retirement he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Plus Colon Cancer," said Phipps son, Jeff Phipps Jr.
At first, there was disbelief at the results, considering Phipps showed no symptoms of colon cancer.
Phipps Jr., also a Hanover County firefighter, said he made a quick decision of his own.
"My mind went instantly to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network," he said. "We’ve got to sign up for this. We’ve got to get a mentor. We’ve got to try to fight this. We’re going to attack this head on.”
The Firefighter Cancer Support Network provides a sheet of paper that every firefighter should give to their doctor.
"It explains to them the risks associated with the Fire Service and what tests Firefighters need to be getting at a certain age," Phipps Jr. said.
The risk of cancer is much higher for firefighters than the average person, so that list often is an eye opener for doctors.
And while most fire departments have a test program in place, it’s up to the firefighters to do all they can to protect themselves.
Some fire departments, like Hanover County's, have taken a direct approach when it comes to cancer education.
“They want to train every firefighter with this cancer because we’ve been impacted so greatly through it," Phipps Jr. said.
Phipps Jr. teaches the class to new recruits, and it starts with his father's firefighting career, and the timeline of his cancer diagnosis.
"The colonoscopy was February 25. He passed on July 18," Carolyn said.
In five months: the cause of death, colon cancer. The cause of the cancer? His job.
During that five months, the Firefighter Cancer Support Network offered the family lots of help. And for Jeff, the Mentor Program was key.
“I know every single time that he would talk to his mentor, his outlook would improve," Phipps Jr. said.
Besides classroom education, fire departments are using special washers to clean gear and are requiring firefighters to clean themselves thoroughly after each exposure.
“I don’t want any other family to have to go through what we did," Carolyn said.
Ultimately, it comes down to each firefighter looking after themselves.
“Take care of yourself, protect yourself. If not for you, for the people that you love.”
And while the memory of Battalion Chief 402 lives on, Jeff Phipps is still touching peoples lives.
“He saved lives and touched people when he was here as a firefighter. But even after his legacy, his story keeps impacting people," Phipps Jr. said.
If you are a firefighter, a family member of a firefighter, or just a friend, you can go to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, and download a checklist for your doctor.
Also, if you are a firefighter battling cancer, you don't have to go at it alone, as the network has a box full of information to help you and your family.
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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