Press release from the Asheville Fire Department:
An Asheville Firefighter will run 100K, or more than 60 miles, to honor a fallen brother and bring awareness about firefighters of cancer.
The route will take Senior Firefighter Mike Riley between the two stations where Will Willis worked. Willis died of cancer on his 34th birthday in February. He is one of four Asheville firefighters diagnosed with cancer in the span of 18 months.
“I’m doing this for all of our Brothers and Sisters who have fought, and will fight, what has become one of the leading causes of Firefighter Line of Duty deaths” said Riley. “The problem is getting worse and the Asheville Fire Department has been directly affected numerous times. I’m honored to be a part of raising awareness of this modern day condition in our profession”.
“We’re exposed to carcinogens constantly, despite our best efforts to protect ourselves,” said Division Chief Joy Ponder, one of the AFD members who has battled cancer. “Fires are ‘dirtier’ now, emitting more hazardous chemicals because of new building materials. And we can’t escape sleep deprivation which they’ve found contributes to tumor growth according to the Medical University of South Carolina.”1
Riley, a 10-year veteran of the Asheville Fire Department, will run to raise money for the North Carolina Firefighter Cancer Alliance. The NCFCA “is dedicated to educating, supporting and helping firefighters in the battle against occupational cancer,” according to their Facebook page.
Riley will run the first leg to Ebbs Chapel by himself. More than a dozen Asheville firefighters will accompany him back to Asheville, each taking a leg of the journey to keep Riley company and show our commitment to our Brotherhood. Dozens will join him along Haywood Road as he runs to the finish line, approximately 12 hours after his start.
They may struggle to keep up with the 41-year-old father of two. Riley recently won the Tunnel to Towers 5K and the Dupont Forest 12K Trail Race. He typically clocks a 6:45-minute mile during marathons.
The Firefighter Cancer Support Network paints a bleak but honest picture about cancer in firefighters:
- Cancer caused 61 percent of the career firefighter line-of-duty deaths from Jan. 1, 2002, to Dec. 31, 2016, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).
- Cancer caused 70 percent of the line-of-duty deaths for career firefighters in 2016.
- Firefighters have a 9 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer than the general
U.S. population.
- Firefighters have a 14 percent higher risk of dying from cancer than the general
population.2
For more information contact Capt. Angie Bell at 828-778-2221 or Mike Riley at 828-747-6028.
1Cancer overrides the circadian clock to survive; https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171228132034.htm 2 Firefighter Cancer Support Network; https://firefightercancersupport.org/who-we-are/
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