Do you remember what you wanted to be when you grew up? As children, we get our first glimpses of the world around us by learning about the lives that our grown-up role models lead.

More often than not, if you ask a young boy what he wants to be when he grows up, a firefighter is usually the first thing he’ll say.

While firefighters are respectable community members and provide a vital service, they all do so at a price that not many are aware of. The fact is, firefighters are not only exposed to the dangers of a burning blaze, but they’re also vulnerable to several diseases just because of the nature of their profession. Just look at the California wildfires and how they’re impacting firefighters who are risking their lives to save the lives of others living nearby.

Along with heat exhaustion, burns, and a host of other hazards, here, we’ll explore some of the mostly unknown dangers that firefighters are exposed to while out working to protect the communities in which they live.

Cancer

You might not relate cancer to firefighting, but the risk and vulnerability are very real. The nature of fighting fires involves being exposed to toxic fumes and other cancer-causing chemicals that may be ablaze when a fire is being put out.

Additionally, firefighters don’t just use water to put out fires. Often, they use foam substances. One of these is known as Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF). Though this foam is much more effective than water in suppressing fire, it also has been linked to causing cancer over time.

With this finding, many firefighters are filing lawsuits due to AFFF exposure in order to seek compensation.

Chronic Respiratory Disease

The very nature of fighting a fire requires a firefighter to be exposed to smoke and fumes from hazardous chemicals and debris.

Consider the fact that many fires start in older dwellings. Many older dwellings contain hazardous construction materials such as lead and asbestos. When these substances catch fire, the smoke that a firefighter inhales can cause serious lung damage over time, most of which is irreparable.

In addition, smoke itself, no matter from what source, is a heavy carcinogen and lung irritant. Over time, this can seriously damage the lungs of anyone with long-term exposure to smoke, much like that of a cigarette smoker.

Heart Disease

One alarming statistic is that heart attacks are the sole cause of nearly 50 percent of all firefighting work-related deaths. This is largely thought to be because of the intense heat, high stress, and shallow breathing when fighting a blaze, but it can also be from various other factors.

Another alarming statistic is that more than 70 percent of firefighters are overweight or obese. This can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems. When all of this is combined with the intense heat and high stress from fighting a fire, a heart attack is usually a fatal result.

Physical Danger

This one is the most obvious, but it also must be mentioned. Firefighters not only risk their lives by being exposed to heat and smoke, but many other elements also pose a serious threat to their lives.

Running into a burning building with blinding heat and smoke is hard enough. Combine this with broken glass, falling debris, and explosions, and you have one of your worst nightmares.

A firefighter never knows exactly what type of situation he or she is running into. All they’re thinking about is saving lives and extinguishing a fire. As such, the dangers could also include building collapses, superheated water, and other deadly situations.

Though firefighters put their lives at risk every single time they’re called into action, they do so without regard to their own safety. This is the mark of a true hero, and these brave men and women should be recognized for the vital service they perform for the community.

All firefighters ultimately know the risk they face when entering a burning structure, and we should all thank them for doing such a heroic job.