New shirt raises breast cancer awareness

This month you might see some changes to the uniforms most of you have been accustomed to seeing. Over the past few months the Boulder City Fire Department has been putting together a shirt to wear on duty that also helps raise awareness of breast cancer.

Boulder City firefighters are against any and all cancers, and stand to support a fight, and help raise awareness toward all. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and we chose to help by raising awareness locally.

Breast cancer accounts for 22 percent of all cancer in the world. It usually starts in the glands of the breast and spreads to the surrounding tissues. Although it is a typical cancer for woman, men are not excluded from or immune to breast cancer. Regular screening for breast cancer can help early detection.

After being diagnosed, surgery is typically the most successful treatment, with help from chemotherapy and other cancer-fighting drugs. The survival rate of breast cancer is about 80 percent. Early and frequent mammograms can help save your life.

The firefighters this month will be wearing their normal navy blue uniforms, however, if you look closely at the details of the shirt you would notice the screening on the navy shirt is pink. Pink is the color used by the Susan G. Koman Foundation to help raise awareness of breast cancer.

The design of the T-shirt we wear is symbolic in tradition to our department and city. The design is the same, and where all the color used to be, is substituted with pink. The entire shirt is screen printed with pink lettering.

If you would like to learn more about breast cancer, screening, or would like to make a donation, feel free to call me at the firehouse at 702-293-9228.

On Oct. 12 from 8 to 11 a.m. the firefighters will be opening the doors to the station for our free pancake breakfast. In honor and memorial of all the fallen firefighters across the nation and around the world, we proudly support the Fallen Firefighter Memorial with our pancake breakfast, open free to the public for men, women, and children of any age.

This is a great opportunity to check out the new breast cancer uniform shirts, as well as meet your local firefighters, take a tour of the fire house and have a great time. We look forward to seeing you all out there.

If you have any other questions or comments regarding the pancake breakfast, or about the National Fallen Firefighter Memorial, feel free to contact me at the fire house at 702-293-9228.

Brian Shea is a Boulder City paramedic/firefighter.