A former Whatcom County firefighter who died of cancer this week is being listed as a line-of-duty fatality under state law that classifies certain kinds of cancer as job-related.
Firefighter John Swobody died Monday night after a years-long battle with lung cancer, said Chief William Pernett of North Whatcom Fire and Rescue.
"He was definitely a great guy. It was a tough loss for us," Pernett said Thursday. Swobody, 54, died at his Marysville home, surrounded by friends and family. Following fire service tradition, a procession of fire apparatus escorted his body to a Bellingham mortuary.