Fire & EMS Leader Pro The job of old firefighters is to teach young firefighters how to become old firefighters!
By: Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer
I’m often asked why I continue to write and publish on this blog that I started in 2010. I, myself, sometimes wonder about the same thing because after fourteen years it sometimes becomes difficult to find fresh topics to expound upon. And then I get an email like this:
Chief Avsec,
I’m a Fire Lieutenant with a municipal fire department. I’m currently a 24-hour Safety Officer on A-Shift. I was reading the article you wrote, Fire retardants and their impact on firefighter health, after I started searching for a link between auto immune disease and firefighters.
I just turned 40 last year and I’ve been with the department for just over 17 years. I noticed some subtle changes in my health, so I had my personal care physician (PCP) run blood tests. I originally thought these changes maybe just be due to perimenopause.
Well, we found that my TPO thyroid antibodies are exceedingly high, and my PCP diagnosed me with Hashimoto’s Disease. I’ve always been extremely healthy. I eat well, exercise, and I have no family history of autoimmune diseases. I wondered if my years on the job may have led to this diagnosis.
This led me to start researching it and I found that article you wrote with Chief Katherine Ridenhour in 2018. I was wondering if you could provide me with any more information. I would like to contact her as well to see if there’s anything I should do for documentation if this was work related.
I feel like it’s also my responsibility to also make sure my fellow firefighters know about this risk and get tested. I knew that we are at risk for cancer and respiratory disease, but I had no idea that I needed specialized tests to look out for autoimmune diseases.
Thank you for publishing that article. I just hope maybe you can give me some insight on what steps I could take next. I love my role as Safety Officer. I get to go on all the exciting calls, but more than anything I get to take care of my brothers and sisters every day. I feel that it’s important to make sure they are aware of everything that involves their health and safety.
Sincerely,
I’ve omitted her name to protect her anonymity.
So, there’s the answer to the question of why I continue to write and publish here on Talking “Shop” 4 Fire and EMS. Even after six years, an article that I wrote—and to which Battalion Chief (Ret.) Katherine Ridenhour contributed—resonated with a fire officer who is facing her own health challenges that may be related to her years of service in a municipal fire department.
And if that’s not reason enough to keep on writing, I don’t know what is. (And yes, I did put her in contact with Chief Ridenhour).
