Last October, longtime Somerville Firefighter Robert Quinn died suddenly at the age of 57 of a heart attack. Two months later, 48-year-old Somerville Fire Lieutenant Paul Sullivan died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Today, two other Somerville firefighters are on leave, diagnosed with cancer, and over the past year, many others have missed time with other injuries.
The numbers are alarming, but despite recent efforts by the city to protect its firefighters, members of the department say injuries, heart problems and cancer are common hazards of the job.
“It can be scary not knowing what tomorrow’s going to hold for you,” Fire Chief Patrick Sullivan said. “But we are trying to protect ourselves better.”
Many firefighters have experienced severe and sometimes deadly heart problems. Sullivan said each month, a number of firefighters are forced to go on long-term sick and injured lists, where they have to miss three shifts or more while they recover from muscle pulls, tears and a host of other injuries.