By Brad Williams
Yahoo! Studios
Harold Schapelhouman, fire chief at Menlo Park Fire Protection District, is breathing heavily.
The posted speed limit is 15 mph, but when you’re fighting respiratory infection by way of mountain biking, rules go out the window. Your lungs need it. You have to push it.
Schapelhouman has been pushing it for years.
As the former captain and task force leader for California Urban Search and Rescue, Schapelhouman has responded to disasters all over the country. He’s seen what both man and Mother Nature can do, from the Oklahoma City bombing to Hurricane Katrina.
He knew what he would see when his team headed to New York to assist in the cleanup and recovery efforts after the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
What he did not anticipate is the long-term impact of his time on “the pile,” at the World Trade Center.
Full story: Elite group of 9/11 first responders still battling illness, ‘WTC Cough’