Firefighters who protect Lakewood Ranch neighborhoods are getting annual cancer screenings through a growing partnership between Sarasota Memorial Hospital and the fire rescue agencies that serve the community.
East Manatee County Fire Rescue, South Manatee County Fire Rescue and Sarasota County Fire Rescue have all entered screening agreements with SMH, Your Observer reported Wednesday. The program started with Longboat Key Fire Rescue in 2023 and has since expanded to Venice. SMH is also in talks with Charlotte County.
New State Law Sets a Three-Year Countdown to Ban Cancer-Linked Foam
The screenings come as a new state law puts foam containing PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, on a three-year countdown to elimination. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 1019 in June 2026, banning the foam's use in nonemergency training as of July 1, 2026, and outlawing possession entirely by July 1, 2029. The law is named the "Joe Casello Act" after the late Boynton Beach state representative who served as a Massachusetts firefighter for 30 years.
PFAS, known as "forever chemicals" because they resist decomposition, are found in both firefighting foam and the bunker gear firefighters wear into burning buildings. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified occupational exposure as a firefighter as "carcinogenic to humans" in 2022.
Study Finds Firefighters Face Sharply Higher Cancer Death Rates
"If you look at the average person getting cancer in this country, their age is 68. When you look at firefighters, it's 48," said Dr. Richard Brown, senior advisor of Oncology Services and former medical director for cancer care services at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
A 2025 American Cancer Society study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology tracked cancer-free individuals for 36 years and found firefighters have a 58% increased mortality rate from skin cancers and a 40% higher death rate from kidney cancer compared with other workers. Brown explained that PFAS chemicals are filtered by the kidneys and pass into the bladder, which is why genitourinary tumors are elevated among exposed firefighters.
What the Screening Program Covers, and What It Costs
The SMH screening protocol includes a blood draw about one month before the appointment, a nurse practitioner review of results, a pulmonary function test, an electrocardiogram and an X-ray on the first visit repeated every five years. Longboat Key Fire Rescue budgets $20,000 per year for the partnership and covers any additional tests doctors recommend, Fire Chief Paul Dezzi said.
Beyond screenings, the hospital has added podcasts, educational events, mental health support and a teaching kitchen in its new cancer pavilion for healthy cooking demonstrations.
A Second New Law Expands Benefits for Firefighters With Cancer
The state also enacted SB 984, effective July 1, which expands disability and death benefits for firefighters diagnosed with cancer. The law makes a $25,000 one-time payout available to former firefighters regardless of whether they remain in an employer-sponsored health plan.
Replacing Contaminated Gear Remains a Budget Hurdle
Replacing PFAS-laden gear remains a budget challenge. A full protective ensemble costs about $5,000 per set, Dezzi said, and Longboat Key still has PFAS-containing gear in service while awaiting funding. The department has already switched its foam to Universal Green, a fluorine-free product manufactured by National Foam.
Training Captain David Eggleston said awareness has changed behavior at Longboat Key. Firefighters no longer casually wear turnout gear for warmth, and decontamination protocols require showering within an hour of returning from a fire. A dedicated extractor washing machine at the department's stations handles contaminated gear separately.
The July 1, 2029, deadline for full elimination of PFAS foam statewide gives departments three years to comply.
