Firefighters hit the gym to stay fit to do their challenging jobs.
It's much more for St. Paul firefighters. They're pumping iron, rowing and pushing themselves in honor of fallen Capt. Mike Paidar, who lost his battle with cancer.
"There are these triangular signs that just show pictures of Mike and his family, his academy graduation photo, anything that helps stir those emotions. We can put ourselves in that moment with him as if he is here with us, participating in the workout and we don't want to let him down, so that's why we keep going," Firefighter Nicholas Shutterfly, the organizer, told a CBS Minnesota reporter.
"Mike Paidar's death was a landmark situation. It's the first recognized in the state of Minnesota as an occupational hazard of firefighting related to cancer," he said.
Julie Paidar says the workout wasn't just for her husband, but all firefighters across the state and country.
They sweated and pushed each other to continue just as their captain did.
Shutterfly says firefighters are hopeful that Sen. Amy Klobuchar's Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act will pass for families who lost love ones to carcinogenic exposure on the job. The bipartisan legislation would expand access to federal support for the families.
