It is amazing that we have to fight for our rights and pensions we paid for. I am going to yet another funeral for a firefighter.  John was 61 and had battled Cancer for the past number of years. This was guy that competed successfully in the firefighter iron man contests. He was in top shape physically and mentally, yet cancer linked to the job took him. Although we worked for different departments, I got to know him when one of my guys wanted to compete. He was glad to mentor a brother firefighter. I ran into him over the years after he was forced to retire due to the cancer. He always had a great attitude.

When I came on the job in 1973 we had scuba on the rigs but most guys did not use them. We never used anything when doing overhaul, which as we know now is the time when the worst carcinogens are in the air. We had no exhaust systems and the rigs ran on the apparatus floor with the fumes going up the pole holes to our dorms.

I have lost a number of friends due to cancer, We had one firehouse that was a link to most of the cancer deaths. There has never been a study done to track this link but we all know it exists. I am tired of going to bury people who did their jobs, asked nothing from the cities but a living wage and a retirement allowing us to not eat cat food if we were lucky enough to live 10 or 15 years past our retirement date. John will be missed.