St Paul firefighters are mourning the death of three of their comrades. 28-year-old Tommy McDonough died last week of suicide. 53-year-old Mike Paider died of cancer, as did 59-year-old Floyd Jones.
"It's extremely difficult," said Chris Parsons, the president of the Minnesota Professional Firefighters. "There hasn't been an hour that I haven't thought about Floyd, or Tommy or Mike. These folks are like family."
Parsons said it's a tragic reminder of the mental and physical toll their work takes and the fight to protect fellow firefighters.
Tommy McDonough followed in his father’s footsteps to become a firefighter. He was a young father and had been exposed to traumatic events through this job which ultimately contributed to him taking his own life.
"You think about the steps he had to go through to get to that point, and it just breaks your heart," Parsons said.
Mike Paider lost his battle with leukemia. Studies show firefighters have a greater risk of cancer from the chemicals they breathe in.
Floyd Jones beat cancer in recent years after he retired. Parsons said the 59-year-old died unexpectedly in his sleep two weeks ago.
They are a group of volunteers who check in on the well being of their fellow firefighters and train them to cope. But COVID 19 has put a strain on their routine. Parsons said before the pandemic, firefighters like to sit around the kitchen table at the station, but now that's discouraged because of the virus, and he says they are wearing masks, and it feels impersonal in many ways.
"You can't really see one another's faces, we are told not to congregate in the same areas as we used to," He said.
A fundraiser for McDonough’s children can be found at gofundme.com/f/tommy-mcdonough.