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Hayward Fire Department Secures MRI Partnership to Detect Cancer Early Among Firefighters

The Bay Area department aims to detect cancer earlier by offering preventive MRI scans typically excluded by health insurers

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Hayward firefighters battle a blaze at an apartment complex on Monday, Sept. 14, 2015, in Hayward, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Hayward firefighter Frank Crespo, left, Deputy Chief Ryan Hamre, center, and Captain Andrew Ghali at the Hayward Firefighters Local 1909 office on Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Hayward, Calif. A new partnership between the Hayward Fire Department and biotech firm Prenuvo, is offering firefighters access to MRIs to scan for cancer. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

Overview

  • Firefighters face a 9 percent higher risk of cancer diagnosis and a 14 percent greater chance of dying from it compared with the general population, according to NIH research.
  • The department signed a $100,000 agreement with Redwood City–based Prenuvo on January 1 to provide full-body head and torso MRI scans for early detection.
  • Exposure to carcinogens from forest fires, household blazes and encampment fires drives cancer rates, with 66 percent of line-of-duty deaths from 2002 to 2019 attributed to the disease.
  • The program was inspired by the 2017 death of Captain Steve Holt and aims to identify tumors when treatment is most effective.
  • Standard health insurance policies often deny preventive cancer screenings for firefighters without preexisting risk factors, limiting early diagnostic options.