More people in the Rio Grande Valley are being diagnosed with Melanoma, a type of skin cancer.

Early screenings are the best form of prevention, especially for high-risk groups like firefighters. The Harlingen Fire Department is taking a proactive approach when it comes to preventing skin cancer.

"Firefighters go into places where not everyone goes into and when there is a fire, there's all kind of materials with burning and nowadays, a lot of plastics and so forth," Harlingen Fire Chief Rafael Balderas said.

Firefighters have a 21 percent greater risk of developing Melanoma, which is the most serious form of skin cancer, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association.

That's why Balderas is teaming up with University of Texas Rio Grande Valley medical students to get free skin cancer screenings for his staff at the Harlingen Fire Department.

Smaran Marupudi is the UTRGV medical student spearheading the event.

"There's certain professions that have an increased risk of skin cancer. One of them is pilots and the next one is firefighters. Firefighters is mainly due to the carcinogens they're exposed to," Marupudi said.

While firefighters are at a higher risk of developing skin cancer, health experts say we are also exposed to the sun and other toxins.

"We're in a region where you're exposed to sunlight 316 days a year, so having a darker skin tone doesn't necessarily mean you're protected," Marupudi said.

Marupudi urges everyone to take preventative measures and look out for any early signs of skin cancer.

"A spot that grows in size rapidly, anything that doesn't look symmetrical that's got not a straight border, different colors," Marupudi said.

If you notice any new spots or changes to your skin's texture, get it checked out, early detection is key. 

That's why Harlingen firefighters will be getting free screenings next weekend.

"What I'm hoping is that our guys take advantage of it and catch it early. Because if there is an issue, we certainly, the earlier you catch it the better off you are," Balderas said.

Marupudi plans on expanding awareness by hosting more of these kinds of screenings.