Three local fire departments held separate blood drives in support of the Modena Fire and Rescue and its past Chief, Ken Meyer.

“We had a goal of 50 donors, and we were able to get about 89 donations out of everybody who came,” said Modena Fire and Rescue President Samantha Smith. “Which equates to 267 lives saved.”

The Wallkill Fire Department, held on Saturday, Jan. 31, received 62 units, the Clintondale Fire Department, held on Monday, Feb. 2, received 31 units, and Modena’s drive was held on Sunday, Feb. 8.

“The pints of blood that were collected didn’t represent everyone that came through the doors that day, either,” said Smith. “We did have some people come that didn’t donate, but they came to show support or to learn something. We had well over 100 people in the firehouse all day.”

Meyer has been involved in the Fire and Emergency Medical Service industry for over 25 years. He has recently been on the receiving end of the impact blood donations can have on a person, which is what inspired the Modena department to start the blood drives.

“Right now, Ken is near and dear to cancer prevention for firefighters,” said Smith. “Obviously, because he was diagnosed, and a lot of fellow firefighters in our battalion have been diagnosed, he was very much into educating firefighters on proper Decon (decontamination) after calls.”

During the Modena Fire Department event, they had four tables with information on proper decontamination procedures, their use, and the risks of being uninformed. They also had resources for when someone should get cancer screenings, where and how to support fellow firefighters who have been diagnosed.

“We were really just trying to have a well-rounded kind of plethora of resources,” said Smith. “Plus, we had basic health and wellness stuff, like nutrition and fitness, just to kind of keep everybody fit and healthy, because firefighters are at a higher risk of being sick because of the job they do.”

Firefighter decontamination is the crucial process of removing toxic chemicals, carcinogens, and soot from their gear and equipment to help prevent long-term health risks. According to Firefighter Cancer Support Network, firefighters have a nine percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer, and a 14 percent higher risk of dying from cancer than the general U.S. population.

“He didn’t want this open house and health fair that we did to be about him,” said Smith. “He wanted it to be about everybody, because that’s the type of person he is.”