LYNN — Skin cancer screenings were provided to active and retired members of the Lynn fire and police departments at St. Mary’s on Monday.
The cancer screenings were conducted in the school cafeteria by Dr. Christine Kannler, M.D., free of charge. Kannler conducts these screenings to help fire and Police departments all across the country and started helping Lynn in 2018, Fire Chief Dan Sullivan explained.
“She does all of this on her own time, thousands and thousands of hours she’s put into doing this,” he said.
Studies suggest that firefighters face an increased risk of developing melanoma, which is a common yet dangerous type of skin cancer, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Similarly, since police officers are sometimes the first to respond to fires and have to assist in getting people out, they are exposed to increased risks as well.
“When I took this job, my overarching goal was to (make sure my friends don’t die),” Sullivan said. “Whether that be through proper training, safety devices, operating equipment, and now, with health as well. So this just plays into that overarching goal.”
