08/25/2026
🔥 EsoGuard Esophageal Cancer Screening Coming to the Connecticut Fire Academy
The Connecticut Fire Academy is pleased to host EsoGuard preventative esophageal cancer screening for active and retired firefighters on September 18 and 19, 2026.
Cancer continues to be one of the most serious occupational health threats facing the fire service. Prevention, awareness, and early detection matter. We strongly encourage eligible firefighters, including our retired members, to consider taking advantage of this screening opportunity.
📅 Friday, September 18: 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
📅 Saturday, September 19: 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
📍 Connecticut Fire Academy
34 Perimeter Road, Windsor Locks, CT 06096
NO OUT-OF-POCKET COST
The screening will be billed through insurance, but there is no out-of-pocket cost to the firefighter or fire department. Participants are not responsible for any portion not covered by insurance, including the total cost of the test if insurance denies coverage.
DO YOU QUALIFY?
You may be eligible for screening if you have three or more of the following risk factors:
• Firefighter for 10+ years
• Male
• White ethnicity
• Age 50+
• Current or former smoker
• BMI over 30
• Frequent heartburn or acid reflux
• Family history of Barrett’s Esophagus or esophageal cancer
You do not need this testing if you have had an upper endoscopy within the past year or have already been diagnosed with Barrett’s Esophagus.
WHY SHOULD FIREFIGHTERS CONSIDER SCREENING?
Firefighters face increased occupational cancer risks. Information provided for this screening initiative identifies:
• 62% higher risk of esophageal cancer
• 39% increased risk of death from esophageal cancer
• Approximately 20% five-year survival rate
The opportunity is early detection. Barrett’s Esophagus is a precancerous condition that can be identified, monitored, and treated before it progresses to esophageal adenocarcinoma.
Not every cancer can be prevented. Esophageal adenocarcinoma, however, offers an important opportunity for prevention when precancerous changes are identified early.
RETIRED FIREFIGHTERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE
This opportunity is not limited to active firefighters. Retired firefighters are an especially important population to reach. Many retirees have decades of occupational exposure from a time when PPE, SCBA use, contamination control, and our understanding of firefighter cancer risks were very different from today. Those cumulative exposures, combined with age-related risk factors, make screening worth serious consideration.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Step 1: Confirm you meet the eligibility criteria above.
Step 2: Reserve your testing time.
Reserve an EsoGuard Screening Appointment
Step 3: Prepare for your appointment.
• Do not eat or drink for two hours before your appointment.
• Bring your driver’s license and insurance card.
A “What to Expect After EsoGuard” document will be provided at the screening event and can also be requested in advance.
ONE SCREENING CAN MATTER
EsoGuard is not an annual screening. It is better to be screened once than never at all. If your risk-factor profile changes over the next 5 to 10 years, screening may be repeated as appropriate.
We spend our careers teaching firefighters to recognize hazards before they become emergencies. Our health deserves that same attention.
Please take advantage of this important preventative screening opportunity and share this information with active firefighters, retirees, and fire service organizations throughout Connecticut.
Questions?
Contact Kelley Skantz
📧 [email protected]
📞 774-320-5425
