GREENSBORO, N.C. — The most dangerous part about firefighting isn't fire itself, "Cancer is now the number one killer of firefighters, occupational cancer," Captain with Greensboro Fire Department, Vinnie Messina said.
Messina knows that all to well. The fire captain's brother, Mauro Messina, was one of those firefighters. He was diagnosed two years ago with a rare brain cancer called glioblastoma.
"My brother was 53 when he was diagnosed and 54 when he was buried this past May," Messina said.
Messina has also lost friends. Razmziddin El-Amin and Robert Swink were both Greensboro Firefighters, both died of occupational cancer.
Experts say firefighters are exposed to carcinogens from the flames but also from their gear because the gear itself contains toxic chemicals.
"We work with these guys and we do the same thing as these guys for years and years and years and you see something like this and it's very personal and very painful to have to watch these guys suffer and go through this," Messina said.
This week, Governor Cooper signed SB 409 into law, allowing cancer coverage benefits to firefighters, both paid and volunteer, as long as their diagnosis came after January 1st, 2022. Messina just wishes it would've come sooner.
"Unfortunately, this coverage and these bills came too late for all three of these and they weren't able to revive this coverage and help," Messina said.
He said although they did not benefit from this current bill, they're the reason he and several others continue to fight for firefighters today and in the future.