NBC Bay Area
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Dozens of San Jose firefighters say there is something unusual about one of the city’s oldest and busiest firehouses. For years, they have called fire station number five “the cancer station.” It was all talk, with no formal investigation by the San Jose Fire Departmentfor more than a decade. Now, the leader of the department has pledged to examine the fire station’s infamous reputation after firefighters raised concerns to the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit.
“There are a lot of old guys who know that if you worked at that station long enough, there is a good chance you are going to come down with cancer,” said retired San Jose fire captain Rick Wardell. “It is kind of almost a sick joke that when you work at station five, you can’t wait to get out and work at some other station.”
Wardell spent almost 30 years as a San Jose firefighter, including nearly six years at station five. In March, he was diagnosed with gallbladder cancer. My life is changed,” Wardell said. “It will never be the same.”
Full story: San Jose Fire Department to Investigate Cancer Station