ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown Fire Department again is mourning the loss of one of its own to cancer.
Fire Marshal Jeff Tomczak died last week at his Upper Gwynedd home “after a valiant 15-month battle with cancer,” according to his obituary.
Tomczak, 44, a father of two, spent more than half his life serving at fire departments in the region.
Tomczak joined the Upper Gwynedd Fire Department as a 16-year-old in 1996 before enlisting in the Army in 1997. He served in Texas and Korea over the next three years, his obituary states.
“When not in the service of his people, Jeff enjoyed spending every second making life adventurous with his family and friends."Jeff Tomczak's obituary
Tomczak became a member of the Volunteer Medical Services Corp. in Lansdale in 2000.
During his decade there, he also served with the Montgomery Township Department of Fire Services, Jefferson Fire Company and Montgomery County Department of Public Safety.
He was a firefighter with the Department of the Navy’s Fire and Emergency Service in Mechanicsburg from 2005 to 2010, when he joined the Allentown Fire Department, according to his obituary.
Tomczak “spent an awesome part of his career with the members of Truck Co. 2,” his obituary states.
He was promoted to fire marshal in 2018 and also served on the department’s Hazardous Materials Response Team and Technical Rescue Team and Dive Team, as well as an instructor at the city’s and state’s fire academies.
'Making life adventurous'
Tomczak, a 28-year firefighter, returned in 2013 to the Upper Gwynedd Fire Department, where he held the roles of fire chief and fire marshal, among others, according to his obituary and local departments.
He also served as a firefighter for the Army Reserves and the Air National Guard.
“When not in the service of his people, Jeff enjoyed spending every second making life adventurous with his family and friends,” his obituary states.
“He loved the beach, sand, sun, and water, cherishing his summers camping with his family and friends by his side at the Jersey Shore.”
Tomczak was an “expert skier in his youth” and often traveled to ski and snowmobile with his family, the obituary says.
“It's an absolute tragedy to lose somebody, particularly somebody that young."Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk
The “diehard” Philadelphia Phillies fan and season ticket holder went to “as many games as possible” with his family.
“If he couldn’t be there, they were on his TV or phone, no matter what!” his obituary says.
Visitation for Tomczak is scheduled to run from 5:30-8 p.m. Friday and 8:30-10:30 a.m. Saturday at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Lansdale.
A funeral mass will follow at 11 a.m. Saturday before Tomczak’s burial in Green Lawn Cemetery in Upper Gwynedd Township.
Tomczak’s family is asking people to make donations to the Montgomery County Hero Fund.
Long-term risk of firefighting
Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk called Tomczak’s death “incredibly sad” and shared his condolences for Tomczak’s wife, sons and other family members.
“It's an absolute tragedy to lose somebody, particularly somebody that young."Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk
“It's an absolute tragedy to lose somebody, particularly somebody that young,” Tuerk said.
Tomczak’s death comes a little over a year after the passing of Chris Kiskeravage, Allentown’s former assistant chief for training.
Kiskeravage — who led the Allentown Fire Academy and turned it into a top-notch facility known for the intensity and detail of its training — died last June at 56 after a long bout with cancer.
He donated his body to science “hoping to find ways to make the job safer for all who follow,” according to his obituary.
Kiskeravage suffered from pancreatic cancer and had overcome testicular cancer about 10 years ago. He believed his illnesses were job-related, friends and family said.
He long was an advocate for the Firefighter Cancer Presumptive Act — a Pennsylvania law that stipulates firefighters diagnosed with cancer are presumed to have gotten the disease from work-related exposure to carcinogens.
Fire Chief Efrain Agosto referenced the long-term dangers that firefighters face before leading a moment of silence before Sunday's Puerto Rican parade and festival.
"My apologies, I'm a little bit emotional about it," Agosto said. "It's one of those things where we don't want to see one of our members to come to this occupational cancer that hits our firefighters on a yearly basis and on a regular basis throughout our nation and throughout the world.
"And we continuously try to find ways to be able to avoid that."
'A huge step' for firefighters
Norfolk Southern gave the Allentown Fire Department a $16,000 grant to outfit its employees with equipment to combat hazardous materials.
That money will help the department buy firefighting foam that doesn’t contain harmful PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” do not break down in the environment, and prolonged exposure to them can trigger negative health effects, including thyroid and immune problems and cancer, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Agosto called it a “huge step” that PFAS are starting to be eliminated from foam and firefighters’ turnout gear.
“It's a really good thing that we're starting to look at,” Agosto said in March, noting it would make the job just “a little safer.”
About two-thirds of all firefighters who died between 2002 and 2019 died from cancer, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters.
