Two Houston Firefighters Suffer Heart Attacks in the Same Week

“Officials are investigating after two Houston firefighters have suffered heart attacks in the last week,” FOX 26 Houston reports.

24-year-old HFD firefighter Malcom Willis died suddenly at his home following a heart attack.

Willis served in the HFD for 19 months and an autopsy report for the 24-year-old hasn’t been released.

A 46-year-old Houston firefighter collapsed at the fire station and went into cardiac arrest on Thursday.

Fellow firefighters brought back his pulse and he’s now in stable condition at a local hospital intensive care unit.

TEXAS – Two Houston firefighters suffer heart attacks in one week…

24-year-old HFD firefighter Malcom Willis died "suddenly" at his home following a heart attack…

A 46-year-old Houston firefighter collapsed at the fire station and went into cardiac arrest…

– fox26houston

— Dr. James E. Olsson (@DrJamesOlsson) July 22, 2022

Officials are investigating after two Houston firefighters have suffered heart attacks in the last week. https://t.co/AcpL1K5uAA

— FOX26Houston (@FOX26Houston) July 23, 2022

Local media automatically attributed the heart attacks to intense heat.

Two Houston firefighters suffer heart attacks in one week. One died; the other is hospitalized. Thank you @FOX26Houston & @MattSeedorff for bringing attention to the dangers of this heat wave for our hardworking firefighters. #firefighters #Heatwave2022 https://t.co/w1TH1UhUcZ

— Houston Firefighters (@FirefightersHOU) July 22, 2022

FOX 26 Houston reported:

“You can’t look at heat as a factor,” said Lancton. “When you’re dealing with record temperatures, and the firefighters having to wear the gear, the best way to put it is it compounds itself.”

Throughout the last few weeks, the Houston area has experienced extreme heat. As we’ve reported, last month was the hottest June on record for the city.

In an interview Thursday, FOX 26 asked Houston firefighter and Public Information Officer Martee Black if the heat could have been a factor in the two recent firefighter heart attacks.

“Those are both under investigation,” said Black. “To avoid speculation, and to respect the families, we prefer not to speak on that until we confirm that information.”

According to data reported by the National Institute of Health (NIH), sudden cardiac events account for roughly 45% of firefighter duty-related deaths every year. In addition, the NIH indicate that heat stress is the number one cause of line-of-duty firefighter fatalities.

Lancton tells FOX 26 that the Houston Fire Department is short-staffed. As a result, he says firefighters are working more hours in the heat than they typically would.

The media, yet again, refuses to address the elephant in the room and ask the obvious question the public wants to know.

Did these firefighters, who suffered heart attacks at young ages, take the experimental COVID-19 shot?

A better question, were they at the station that required the vaccine?

— IM_jay (@JXRPJ) July 23, 2022

https://twitter.com/TTLBoats/status/1550716770561966080

In December 2021, roughly 60% of Houston firefighters had either been vaccinated, submitted test results or received an exemption as of Nov. 15.

From Houston Public Media:

Nearly three months after Mayor Sylvester Turner signed an executive order requiring Houston’s 21,000 city employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine, receive a medical or religious exemption, or submit COVID-19 test results every two weeks, compliance with the order varies widely among departments.

Just over 60% of Houston firefighters had either been vaccinated, submitted test results or received an exemption as of Nov. 15 — the lowest rate of any city department.

That’s according to city data released to Houston Public Media, which also revealed Houston police, waste management and health staff at the bottom of the list of those who have complied with Turner’s order.