A prominent former official with a Southern California fire agency that kept the public informed during numerous large-scale natural disasters announced Wednesday he has Stage 4 cancer, possibly caused by exposure to wildfire smoke.
Mike Eliason, a renowned photographer and former public information officer with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, said he was diagnosed with Stage 4 head and neck cancer.
Eliason was a professional photojournalist-turned-fire department spokesperson, who covered nearly every catastrophe to affect Santa Barbara County for decades, including the Conception dive boat disaster, the deadly Montecito mudslides and the Thomas Fire, which at the time was the largest wildfire in California history.
Embedded behind the lines with fire crews, Eliason gave the public and media previously unseen access to what happens when emergency crews are called into duty.
Utilizing his high-quality camera gear and seasoned photographer’s eye, he captured images and videos of first responders putting their lives on the line. Many of his photos were shared with major publications and television in and out of Southern California — distributed free of charge in the name of keeping the public informed.
He retired from the Fire Department only a few months ago in March after serving 11 years in his position. Prior to his work with Santa Barbara County Fire, he worked as a photographer for the now-defunct Santa Barbara News-Press.
Since retiring, he’s remained active on social media, although directing his eye toward nature, wildlife and capturing community events.
On Wednesday, Eliason wrote on his popular Instagram page that he received his cancer diagnosis about two weeks ago.
“Nearly 38 years of smoke from fires & 12 years of darkroom chemicals (before digital cameras) might be the culprit,” Eliason wrote. “CT confirmed a walnut sized tumor in my neck near my voice box that spread to my lymph nodes on the left side of my neck. That was my first indication that something was wrong.”
Despite the diagnosis, Eliason said there was room for optimism. The cancer hasn’t spread to his lungs or beyond where it currently resides, he said. He’ll begin regular treatment to keep the cancer at bay and his doctors have apparently told him they feel he will have a “positive outcome.”
Eliason is another example of firefighters and other first responders facing increased risk of developing cancer from their critically important, yet dangerous careers.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, firefighters are 9% more likely to develop cancer compared to the general public, and 14% more likely to die from it. Cancer is among the leading causes of firefighter deaths in America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Firefighting settings are complex and contain various hazardous substance,” the CDC writes. “Firefighters can be exposed to hundreds of different chemicals in the form of gases, vapors, and particulates. Some of these chemical substances are known or suspected to cause cancer.”
While Eliason himself was not a full-time wildland firefighter (he did spend some time as a reserve firefighter) the same unbridled access that made his career so notable also came with increased risk of exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.
Members of the Santa Barbara community, media professionals and fire department colleagues have all offered words of support for Eliason, who has made an indelible mark on Southern California and raised the standard for communications professionals who are so greatly depended upon when disaster strikes.
