Firefighters with cancer urge colleagues to take self-protection seriously
When Rob Gibbs started volunteering as a firefighter at the CFA, he was strong both physically and mentally, but 21 years later he’s sitting on the couch at his Cowwarr home feeling like a burden to his family. Key points: Rob Gibbs was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2016 He fought the fire for 15 years and urged firefighters to have regular blood tests The World Health Organization says firefighting is a cancer-causing profession Mr Gibbs, 52, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2016, had one of his legs amputated, and has spent about three of the last five years in hospital. “It’s hard with everything going on with my body. Sometimes you think, why bother?” he says. “If it weren’t for my wife and daughter, I might have left a while ago in all honesty.” Importance of PPE Mr Gibbs has been fighting fires in Gippsland and in metropolitan Melbourne for 15 years and is now encouraging working firefighters to protect themselves by testing their blood regularly and w