Whether it’s dousing flames or providing emergency medical treatment, the Westminster Fire Department (WFD) is always prepared to answer the call. The City’s firefighters and paramedics go through countless trainings practicing techniques that save lives. However, no amount of physical conditioning could have prepared Lieutenant Tracy Post to fight a fine-print battle that could save the lives of other breast cancer survivors just like her.

In 2019, after working her way up from a civilian secretary role at WFD to being considered for lieutenant, Post was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. Although the diagnosis was hard to hear, she wasn’t going to let all her hard work go to waste.

“It's pretty devastating to know that you're going to have to fight this one all by yourself, because we pride ourselves in the fire 
department of being very familial,” Post said. “But from then on it was a whirlwind.”

Post, who had spent six years testing to become a firefighter and then another two years to become a paramedic, was thriving in her role but had to come offline and within weeks underwent a double mastectomy. 

Although Colorado is fortunate to have the Colorado Firefighters Heart, Cancer, & Behavioral Trust, which provides cancer benefits to the state’s firefighters, Post soon discovered that breast cancer was not one of the five types of cancers covered by the Trust, nor was it listed in the presumptive cancer bill that was previously passed through the state legislature.

“It’s crushing,” Post said. “You’re sitting there and you're thinking to yourself well, first of all, cancer itself is very, very emotionally draining. But you're also thinking to yourself, why? Why is my cancer not the same? Cancer is cancer. Cancer doesn't care that I'm a female and you're a male. Cancer doesn't care.”

Between three-week rounds of chemotherapy treatments, Post began to work tirelessly — partially due to chemo-induced insomnia — researching occupational cancers for firefighters and building a case to appeal the Trust’s decision not to cover breast cancer treatment.

Although her initial appeal was voted down by the board of trustees due to technicalities in how the rules of coverage were written, Post’s well-researched case for coverage was enough to pique the interest of several members. 

“I was basically given two choices,” she said. “We can table it and you can come back when everything's all done or strike while the iron is hot and the momentum is there. I was afraid that if we waited, the momentum would stop. And I was really afraid that if we waited, that somebody else would get sick.”

After nine months of appeals and seemingly endless research rabbit holes, the Trust eventually voted unanimously to add breast cancer coverage for firefighters statewide. It was Post’s continued research that ultimately built a strong case that high rates of breast cancer among female firefighters could be linked to workplace hazards.

“I really do feel like I found the end of the internet because I searched for everything,” she said. “It was my third time in front of that Trust panel. I said this is all the new information I have, and this is how these fire carcinogens are linked to breast cancer, specifically showing this population has a greater chance of breast cancer because of these than the average person does. It was the best, most satisfying, fulfilling moment of my entire life.”

Even though her relentless work will have a lasting impact on firefighters now and in the future, Post said she was driven by those women who came before her and fought the disease, such as Westminster firefighters Susan Jones and Della Sullivan.

“The fire service is where we really just want to do good things,” Post said. “We just want to help any which way we can. I never ever, ever thought when I was a secretary and became a firefighter … I never had any idea that I would be able to effect a change that would umbrella the entire state of Colorado, and I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to even be a part of effecting that change.