The deaths of former local firefighter Zachary Anthony and one of his colleagues in the line of duty remind us once again of the dangers these brave public servants face on our behalf every time they go out on an emergency call.

Anthony, once a volunteer for the Polk Township Volunteer Fire Co. in Kresgeville, was a firefighting professional for the York City Fire Co. for the past seven years. He and Ivan Flanscha, a 20-year veteran of the York Fire Co., were killed, and two other firefighters were seriously injured last week in the collapse of a four-story building being converted into residential units in the south-central Pennsylvania city of nearly 44,000.

Firefighters and other first responders routinely run toward trouble when others are running away. Even getting there can be fatal, as we saw this past weekend.

Two volunteer firefighters were killed and three others were hurt when their firetruck flipped over and hit a rock wall while responding to a highway accident in Pratt, West Virginia. These five members of the Pratt Volunteer Fire Department were heading toward the crash that killed three on the West Virginia Turnpike when the truck overturned.

A New York City firefighter was killed late last week inside a burning building being used as a movie set near 148th Street. Michael R. Davidson was found in the debris of the former St. Nick’s Jazz Pub and later died at a city hospital. He is survived by his wife and their four children.

The two West Virginia deaths, the two in York and the one in New York City bring the number of firefighter deaths in the U.S. to a staggering 21 so far in 2018. This number underscores the dangers our firefighters face every time that they respond to an alarm.

A number of other firefighters have been injured during the past week, including four in East Harlem in New York City as they battled an apartment fire last Saturday.

As dangerous as fighting the fires can be, you might be surprised to learn that heart attacks, not burns or injuries, are the greatest cause of on-duty death among firefighters.

For every fatal on-duty heart attack, there are 17 nonfatal firefighter heart attacks, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters. Scarier still is that many firefighters don’t even know they have a heart problem.

Looking back at state records between 2004 and 2014 , I found that all five of the first-responder deaths in our five-county Times News area were medical-related, not from burns or incidents directly involved with the call to which they were responding.

These include: Samir Ashmar, a member of the Upper Macungie Township Board of Supervisors, Lehigh County, 2014, cardiac arrest at the scene of a fire; Claudia Sokol, Summit Hill, 2013, who suffered a medical emergency while on fire police traffic control at the scene of a motor vehicle accident with Diligence Fire Co. No. 1; Jack Kuller Jr., 2011, chief of the Lehighton Fire Department, who responded to fire calls earlier in the day then died overnight; Eric Olson, Coplay, Lehigh County, 2006, member of the Laurys Station Volunteer Fire Co., who died of a heart-related condition the day after responding to a river rescue; and Jackie Stoudt, Summit Hill, 2004, member of the Diligence Fire Co. No. 1, who was stricken while responding to a mutual aid call when he collapsed and struck his head on the concrete floor of the firehouse.

Firefighters face serious challenges and dangers, including heat, flames, physical and mental stress, high levels of carbon monoxide and other toxic risks.

They also are susceptible to inhalation of airborne toxins, such as nitrogen dioxide and hydrogen cyanide and smoke inhalation. Respiratory issues are not uncommon in firefighters and made worse by those who are smokers. They also come into contact with cancer-causing materials.

We owe a huge debt and many thanks to these dedicated volunteers and paid professionals who protect us from fire and other unseen dangers in our communities.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com