LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Nearly nine years after Sgt. Jeffrey Kampschaefer died, his name will soon be displayed on a street in the community he served.
A street sign honoring the Okolona firefighter will be unveiled Saturday.
Kampschaefer died from occupational cancer in December 2017. For the firefighters who worked with him, his death is still felt at the station.
"You miss coming in to work seeing his face there," Okolona Fire Protection Chief Mark Little said.
Little said the department went through a difficult time after Kampschaefer died.
"I think everybody here that knew him misses him," he said.
Kampschaefer’s death also brought more attention to the health risks firefighters face. Firefighters can come into contact with smoke, chemicals and other contaminants while working fires.
Some of those materials can remain on their turnout gear after a call. Little said firefighters at Okolona now have two sets of gear, allowing one set to be cleaned while the other is ready for the next call.
Louisville Fire Department has made similar changes.
After fires, crews use a process called gross decontamination to clean off contaminants before changing into a second set of gear.
“We're going to do gross decon, and then we have our second set of gear and we put that on track so we're ready for the next calls,” LFD Capt. Tamara Stewart said.
Stewart said the inner layer of LFD’s gear is PFAS-free. Okolona has some PFS free gear, but Little said purchasing new gear for the entire department is expensive.
PFAS is a forever chemical linked to cancer. The chemical is used in firefighter protective equipment to help repel water, chemicals and extreme heat.
Fire departments are now taking a closer look at those exposures and ways to limit them.
“Now that we know, if we know better we should do better,” Stewart said.
The sign will honor Kampschaefer as local departments take steps to protect their crews.
The sign honoring Kampschaefer will be unveiled Saturday.
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