Three California firefighters visited Chattanooga today as part of their cross-country journey to raise awareness and douse the flames of cancer.

Retired firefighter Lorenzo Abundiz and his Code 3 for a Cure team spoke to about 16 members of the Fire Department’s Station 1 on Main Street, recalling his 10-year battle with various cancers and speaking to the dangers in the fire service.

“The organization was formed because of my tiredness with the fight against cancer and all my friends and comrades who died of cancer. I just wanted to do something,” Mr. Abundiz said. “It’s not just for firefighters, it’s for everybody. If we can find a cure for cancer it’ll affect everybody.”

Staff Photo by Dan Henry
Lorenzo Abundiz, founder of Code 3 For a Cure, speaks to Chattanooga firefighters at Station 1 promoting his organization and sharing stories today about his personal battle with cancer. Mr. Abundiz, joined by two other California firefighters, visited Chattanooga while driving a firetruck on a nationwide road trip educating firefighters about how their line of work increases their risk of cancer.

Firefighters, he said, face greater risks of cancer and related diseases than the average person. Putting out fires brings them in direct or indirect contact with a number of toxic household materials that enter the body as smoke or can infiltrate the skin despite protective gear.

“Firefighters tend to have more cancer cases throughout their careers and life,” he said. “They don’t get a chance to enjoy their retirement. Many lay down their fire ax for the last time, go off to retire and four to seven years down the line they die of cancer.”

Mr. Abundiz, his wife Peggy, and fellow firefighter John McKnight are now heading to Nashville on their return trip. They’ve been stopping for lunch and discussion at fire stations across the country, taking down names of firefighters who lost their lives to cancer. The team reads the names in a prayer ceremony at a number of stops, including one in New York that Mr. McKnight called “very emotional.”

The Code 3 for a Cure team left Los Angeles June 13, visiting 46 stations and hundreds of fire personnel to date. They plan to arrive home in mid-July.

For complete coverage read tomorrow’s Times Free Press.

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