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HEATHER CASEY
Firehouse.com News
PHILADELPHIA -- As many as 1,800 firefighters, paramedics, EMTs and their supporters rallied today in Philadelphia for Local 22's "Hepatitis C Awareness March," some coming from as far away as Arizona, Oklahoma, Ohio and Canada.
"You are here today to support 150 of your brothers and sisters who caught this disease through no fault of their own - they caught it through the line-of-duty," said Local 22 public relations director Steve Hess as he rallied participants.
The event got underway early at Local 22's hall with a breakfast and opening statements by some of the day's featured speakers, including Pennsylvania State Treasurer Barbara Hafer
[Read Hafer's Speech].
The noisy union hall was packed with participants outfitted in the event's official navy-blue, hepatitis C awareness T-shirt. "There were close to 100 people here already at 8 a.m.," said Ted Quedenfeld, who runs Local 22's website.
Chip Lillie for Firehouse.Com
More than 1,000 firefighters marched from Local 22's union hall to
the Liberty Bell.
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There were 800 people pre-registered for the march, but the numbers continued to grow this morning to about 1,000, Quedenfeld said.
A little after noon bagpipers led the marchers eight blocks to the Liberty Bell, with two fire trucks following, sirens blaring. Many marchers carried bright yellow signs declaring hepatitis C job-related and asking for support. Several showed off their Dalmatians.
A count estimated the number of marchers walking from the Local 22 headquarters
at just over 1,000. Hess said late Thursday that the final overall rally
had closer to 1,800 participants and state officials released an estimate of 1,400.
After the march, participants grouped for short speeches from about 20 people, including several hepatitis C victims.
The crowd cheered as Hess opened the talks, welcoming participants and asking for the support of Republicans and Democrats alike.
Kevin Turner/Firehouse.Com
Hundreds of firefighters gather in front of Local 22's headquarters before the march
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Mention of the recent, controversial report on hepatitis C by the CDC brought on loud boos from the crowd; many organizers noted that not enough research has been done for the CDC to rule out the possibility that rescue workers are at a higher risk for the disease than the general public.
"Medicine is conservative science - it will only say something is an issue after repeated studies show that it is," said Gail Staudt, a nurse who has been working with Local 22.
Staudt said more studies need to be done, and that final conclusions should not be based on any one study, no matter who did it (referring to the CDC). "That's what you're supposed to do before making a statement," she said. "A lot more has to happen before making a final conclusion."
Chip Lillie for Firehouse.Com
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She did not think the report is affecting supporters of Local 22's cause.
"I don't think it's deterring them - I think it's frustrating them," she said. "[Firefighters] don't hesitate to help other people, so it's tough to understand how other people could hesitate to help them."
Several infected members of Local 22 spoke, including paramedic Mary Kohler, firefighter Norm Stabinski and firefighter Fran Kee.
In an interview, Kohler had strong opinions about the CDC report.
"I would like to challenge any member of the CDC to have a vat of the disease poured on their arm if it's so innocuous, and I believe not a single person would do it."
Kohler didn't think the report would affect the support of fellow firefighters, but did think it will affect the final judgement in compensation cases. "I think the city will hide behind it," she said.
Few participants traveled farther than Wayne Brown, a fire department captain who came alone from London, Ontario and asked the crowd to write to their representatives about getting in-line-of duty status for hepatitis C.
"Nobody in my department knows I'm positive; they do now!" he said afterward in an interview.
Brown, who discovered that he has hepatitis C a little over a year ago, said that what happens in Philadelphia will be the benchmark for what happens in Canada as well as in the rest of the U.S., despite the socialized medicine in Canada. "We have a different set of issues," he said, but he is following the process that will allow hepatitis C to be classified as a job-related illness.
Kevin Turner/Firehouse.Com
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Brown said he is here networking because not much attention has been brought to the issue in Canada.
"That's my goal - I need to bring my department and others up to speed," Brown said.
Rally participants cheered loudly in support of the victims and speakers. It was hard to tell if the firefighter's message was heard at the Republican National Convention being held a few miles away.
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