By Bronislaus B. Kush
Telegram & Gazette
WORCESTER, Mass. — Mark Stomski knew the risks he was taking when a Worcester firefighter badge was pinned on his chest four years ago.
He didn't have to be told he might not return from a call, even a seemingly innocuous one. Mr. Stomski remembered what happened in 1999 to the six Worcester firefighters who went to what was believed to be a routine warehouse fire but never saw their wives and children again.
Given the dangers of the occupation, Mr. Stomski fully realized from Day One that a run from a firehouse might result in serious harm to himself, a job-ending injury, or even death.
"I knew what I signed on for," said the 36-year-old married father of three. "You take a chance every time a call comes in. But I didn't think that it might end like this."
Mr. Stomski has been out of work for more than a year after a job-related injury that not only threatens his career but his life. And it wasn't fire, smoke or any of the other perils normally associated with a firefighter's work that now menaces his future.
"It was just a freak accident," said Fire Lt. John Franco, who is helping to organize a fundraiser to help Mr. Stomski pay his mounting medical bills.
The debilitating incident occurred at the McKeon Road fire station in September 2006, according to Mr. Stomski, a South High Community School graduate who attended Northeastern University and Nichols College.
"Off the top of my head, I don't even remember the particular date," said Mr. Stomski, a member of Engine Co. 15. "But we were returning to the station, and the call had to be serious, like a reported structure fire, because I was wearing full gear."
As he was getting out, Mr. Stomski said, the brakes on the firetruck, which was parked slightly uphill, let go, and one of the doors slammed into him.
Mr. Stomski, whose father, Marion, was a volunteer firefighter in a small town in Poland, was heavily bruised on his chest but didn't think much of the incident. But over time, the pain didn't go away and the Fire Department veteran kept getting short of breath.
"At one point, he couldn't climb a flight of steps when responding to a call," said Lt. Franco.
A medical examination later revealed Mr. Stomski's lungs were filled with blood clots. His treatment has been filled with uncertainty.
He now uses bottled oxygen to help him breathe.
Medication didn't work to relieve the clotting and he recently visited the University of California at San Diego's Thornton Hospital.
Doctors thought Mr. Stomski, who is on blood-thinning medication, might be a candidate for a cutting-edge surgery to remove the clots.
However, he learned last week the procedure wasn't an option. "At this point, I really don't know what will happen," Mr. Stomski said.
Mr. Stomski's condition has been complicated by secondary pulmonary hypertension, a disorder of the blood vessels in the lungs.
Mr. Stomski's fellow firefighters are rallying around him and will hold a fundraiser at 7 p.m. Friday at the Elks Lodge, 233 Mill St. The firefighter has three children, Kayla, 14, Brianna, 9, and Zach, 3. Mr. Stomski's wife, Lisa, works for the city Department of Public Works.
The fundraising event, which will help pay for the trip to California and some bills not covered by insurance, will feature a disc jockey, a silent auction, dinner and raffles.
The Mark Stomski Family Fund has been set up at the Worcester Fire Department Credit Union, 34 Glennie St. "We're hoping the contributions will help tide the family over," said Lt. Franco.
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