SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) – Firefighters rely on their equipment to survive, but sometimes it is their equipment that needs to be saved.
As dangerous as flames can be, firefighters know it is the smoke that is the real killer.
Scott Estrada fought fire for 15-years, but on June 14, 2004, he had to fight for himself after he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.
Scott believes it was the gear he loved to wear that made him sick. There was no history of cancer in his family, which led Scott to believe it was cancer causing chemicals that soaked into his turnouts that gave him cancer.
Scott has since dedicated his life to cleaning, washing, inspecting and repairing his fellow firefighters’ gear.
He is the president of So Cal Personal Protective Equipment – which his staff brings 10,000 turnouts back to life each year.
Although cancer cost him the career he loved, Scott remains driven to make a difference.
Scott can’t fight fire anymore, so he protects his comrades by giving their dirty gear a clean bill of health.
In Wednesday’s Zevely Zone, Jeff went to Barrio Logan where a Scott’s company is trying to protect his fellow firefighters.
Some of the footage in this video story was shot using a GoPro camera.