WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — Dennis Brewer just got his dream job as the West Memphis fire chief when he was diagnosed with colon cancer. It had already reached Stage 4.
For nearly 30 years, Brewer worked in the fire service. His wife, Dorothy Brewer, said he loved his job. He was a people person with dreams of making an easier path for young adults to become successful firefighters.
“When they diagnosed him, of course, he had gotten his dream job and then got that bad news at the same time," his wife said. "It was very hard for him.”
In May of 2020, not long after Brewer became chief, he died from the cancer. He was only 55.
Today, people that drive down East Broadway and Martin Luther King Junior Drive will see a brand new fire station named after Dennis Brewer.
But the city is doing more to honor their former chief and friend.
Recently, city leaders and friends of Brewer, brought together first responders from fire, police and EMS to encourage them to get screened.
The city under the direction of Medical Director Dr. Shakeb Hashmi, a friend to Brewer, is working to partner with Exact Sciences Corp to distribute at-home colon cancer screening test kids to all city first responders.
During that meeting, city officials and friends stressed the importance of getting screened early not only for themselves but for Chief Brewer.
“It honors him very well because I think if he were sitting here today he would encourage people to go ahead and get screened," DeWayne Rose, West Memphis Emergency Operations Director, said.
Rose served as the assistant fire chief under Brewer.
"He was a top-notch guy," Rose said. "Very personable. He never met a stranger."
Rose said it was especially important to share the message to first responders who are exposed to all sorts of chemicals on the job.
“Men, in general, we will dismiss a lot of things that are aligning us," Rose said. "We might not pay much attention to an ache or pain, chalk it up as something that’s just uncomfortable and we wait until it goes away but by the time it hurts so bad we need to go to the doctor, it’s too late.”
Studies show firefighters are at a higher risk of getting cancer including colon cancer. Brewer's wife said doctors believe his cancer was a result of his job.
She urges all people to get screened early but especially those with any digestive problems or who may have a family history of colon cancer to don't wait and get screened early.
“I want to bring awareness to everyone about this disease," she said. "It is deadly. It is a silent killer. No family should have to go through this.”
The recommended age to get screened for colon cancer was recently reduced from 50-years-old down to 45-years-old because cases have started to show up in younger adults more and more.
