She informed him no and did not suppose something of it. Capt. Will Gunderson had been a firefighter for the Houston Hearth Division for almost 30 years so she thought perhaps it was simply years of sleeping on station mattresses that lastly caught as much as him.
However the ache continued. It bought so dangerous that Gunderson would spend nights strolling across the fireplace station as an alternative of sleeping.
He lastly went to a physician, who ordered an ultrasound, then an MRI, CAT scan and colonoscopy.
“I keep in mind he checked out me as a result of I used to be in there with him within the restoration room, and he simply checked out me and he mentioned, ‘It isn’t good,'” Stephanie recalled. “We did not know, however we had a sense.”
Gunderson was recognized with colon most cancers in late 2018. He had surgical procedure and thought he was cancer-free just a few months later, however then just a few spots popped up on his liver and he underwent chemotherapy another time.
After years of battling most cancers, Gunderson died on April 2. He was simply 49 years outdated.
The town of Houston has not acknowledged Gunderson’s dying as a line of obligation dying regardless of a 2019 Texas regulation that claims colon most cancers in firefighters is taken into account a work-related damage.
In consequence, town is denying his spouse’s employees’ compensation declare for dying advantages following her husband’s many years of service.
“We won’t ask our women and men to go on the market and put their lives on the road, get uncovered to unknown supplies, carcinogens, after which swiftly, once they come down with most cancers, we abandon them,” mentioned Houston Skilled Hearth Fighters’ Union President Marty Lancton.
Gunderson’s widow mentioned the ache of shedding her husband is made worse figuring out that cancer-preventing gear town owns has been sitting in a warehouse, as an alternative of being put in at stations just like the one her husband labored in.
13 Investigates realized 43 of the division’s 93 Houston fireplace stations haven’t got a vent system that’s designed to take away or decrease dangerous carcinogens from the stations the place firefighters stay and work around-the-clock.
The gadget connects to fireside engines and captures the heavy exhaust when automobiles are began so it would not permeate all through the station.
A latest firefighter’s union survey discovered vents at 12 of the stations that do have them aren’t even working.
“That’s completely a trigger for the elevated fee of threat of most cancers,” Lancton mentioned. “The massive deal is that the diesel exhaust that is popping out of those fireplace engines should not solely in bays proper subsequent to the sleeping quarters, but additionally, at one level, it was subsequent to the ice machines that you just had for the bay, subsequent to the consuming place the place the firefighters eat their meals. On the finish of the day, you are dwelling in a hotbed, if you’ll. It isn’t going anyplace. It is simply resting on all the gear, all of the gear, all of the instruments, the whole lot that you just’re mainly taking a shower in.”
Station 13 within the Oak Forest Group, the place Gunderson labored for many years, doesn’t have a vent system, in accordance with the union survey.
“If town’s involved in regards to the firemen, do one thing. Make it occur. Shield them, assist defend them whereas they’re out defending the residents,” Stephanie Gunderson mentioned.
‘Issues might’ve been completed otherwise’
Houston Hearth Chief Sam Peña mentioned when he first took over the division in 2017, not one of the fireplace stations had the required vent exhaust programs.
He mentioned the division utilized and certified for a federal grant to buy the system for 77 of the division’s 93 stations.
The remaining 16 stations did not qualify for the grant as a result of they have been constructed after 2003, when a nationwide trade commonplace was applied requiring stations to include exhaust programs into new buildings.
These 16 stations ought to have had the system put in whereas they have been being constructed, Peña mentioned. He mentioned most have been constructed previous to him taking up, and added those constructed since he arrived have the system.
“I do not know the way that occurs, however I can let you know that, what our focus has been since I bought right here in 2017, is to make sure that we’re doing the suitable factor for our firefighters and assembly a minimum of the minimal,” Peña mentioned. “The exhaust programs, the extractors, these are issues that ought to have been accomplished 15 years in the past they usually hadn’t been.”
Lancton mentioned stations are additionally lacking out on cancer-fighting extractors, “a elaborate phrase for a really costly washer and dryer to your bunker gear.”
Solely 61 of the division’s fireplace stations have the extractors and the union survey says 9 of them aren’t working, together with one which floods the station each time it is used. Hearth Division data present 5 open work orders.
Lancton mentioned fireplace gear is designed to repel warmth, not cancer-causing carcinogens. At any time when firefighters go into an uncontrolled environment, reminiscent of smoke and carcinogen-laced environments whereas responding to fires, these parts keep on the gear each time the firefighter makes use of or is close to it.
In a super world, Lancton mentioned firefighters would have model new gear each time they reply to a hearth, to make sure any carcinogens left behind on the gear will not hurt them the subsequent time they put it on to reply to a name, however that is not reasonable.
The extractor programs are the subsequent finest resolution.
Along with the extractors, Peña mentioned there are different choices out there for firefighters in the event that they’re involved about carcinogens on their gear.
Firefighters can go to the distribution warehouse to change out their gear for a brand new set or schedule their gear to be cleaned by one other firm on their days off at no cost to them. The division may also choose up gear in want of cleansing from a firefighter’s station.
Nonetheless, he mentioned town is working to complete putting in extractors and expects each station may have one by February 2022 if town can give you a further $308,000 for wanted plumbing and electrical upgrades.
The set up is simply too late to assist Gunderson, however his widow hopes extra is being completed to help his colleagues, who turned their household over the many years.
“The physician was very adamant about it being atmosphere,” she mentioned. “They breathe the whole lot. I imply, I might know when he would convey his gear house – the scent, the smoke, it was simply so very overwhelming.”
Peña mentioned the corporate town works with to put in the washers can full one or two a month.
He mentioned a part of the issue is the washers are industrial grade, however the amenities are older and the plumbing and electrical cannot deal with the demand of utilizing them, so putting in the washers cannot occur in a single day.
It requires upgrading plumbing and electrical on the fireplace stations, which prices about $15,000 to $20,000 per station.
There’s $230,000 in metropolis funds accredited for the initiative, however the division wants a further $308,000 to finish set up on the remaining 32 stations that also want the extractors.
“What frustrates me is that we’re having to play catch up for issues that weren’t completed up to now,” Peña mentioned. “I am blaming the truth that issues might’ve been completed otherwise the place most cancers would not be one of many main causes of dying in firefighters, proper? If 10, 15 years from now, most cancers will not be the main explanation for dying in firefighters, we might have completed a superb factor in the present day.”
The Hearth Fighters Basis of Houston nonprofit spent $228,170 in July 2019 to buy 29 extractors and one other $118,950 three months in the past to buy 15 extractors.
“We won’t sit right here and say that we’re really attempting to do one thing to scale back the chance, since you’re by no means going to have the ability to remove it if you clearly have fireplace stations that No. 1 haven’t got it and No. 2 those which have, do not work,” Lancton mentioned.
State adjustments work-related cancers for firefighters
Whereas firefighters look forward to recognized cancer-preventing gear to be put in, Stephanie Gunderson continues to be preventing for town to acknowledge that her husband’s most cancers might have been linked to his work as a primary responder.
“They do not care,” Gunderson mentioned.
Previous to the 2019 modification to Texas’ current most cancers presumption regulation for first responders, “a sort of most cancers that could be attributable to publicity to warmth, smoke, radiation, or a recognized or suspected carcinogen as decided by the Worldwide Company for Analysis on Most cancers,” was thought of work-related and lined by employees’ compensation advantages.
However when the modification went into impact in 2019, it eliminated the a part of the regulation referring to the Worldwide Company for Analysis on Most cancers listing and added a extra particular listing of cancers which are thought of work-related. The brand new listing consists of colon most cancers.
Peña mentioned below the outdated regulation, it was troublesome to find out which forms of cancers can be lined.
In an effort to qualify for cancer-related employees’ compensation below the brand new regulation, Pena mentioned the person must be cancer-free once they have been employed and be recognized with most cancers whereas on the job.
He mentioned the person’s major job should contain responding to fires or being uncovered to carcinogens they usually additionally cannot be a smoker or married to a smoker.
Peña admits there are some cases the place firefighters are denied employees’ compensation, however mentioned he is not conscious of the specifics for every case or why they may not meet the necessities.
In Gunderson’s case, he was recognized with colon most cancers previous to the 2019 regulation.
Simply three days earlier than he died, the longtime firefighter deliberate on getting in to work. His spouse joked that he typically cherished being on the fireplace station greater than he cherished being at house. His colleagues on the station even made a pact that they’d all retire collectively.
Now with out Gunderson, his spouse mentioned his fellow firefighters are nonetheless honoring that pact and he or she hopes town will do extra to honor their service.
“He is not the final one which’s going to die from most cancers or get most cancers being a fireman, but when they will do one thing to assist reduce that, please do it,” she mentioned.
For updates on this report, comply with ABC13 investigative reporter Ted Oberg on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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