By EMS1 Staff
WATERLOO, Iowa —A firefighter-paramedic died Tuesday after a battle with cancer.
The Courier reported that Justin Junk, a 10-year veteran fire engineer of Waterloo Fire Rescue, succumbed to his battle with cancer after undergoing numerous operations over the past few years.
A few weeks ago, Junk’s dad, Mike, said doctors found internal bleeding from a tumor after he collapsed at work. He died soon after returning home under hospice care.
Junk’s career in the fire service was part of a family tradition, as his father was a fire engineer with Waterloo Fire Rescue and his uncle was a captain and battalion chief there as well.
Junk was a member of the Independence Fire Department from 2003 to 2004 before being hired by Waterloo Fire Rescue in 2007.
“Justin was the one who found the little guy in the fire and carried him out,” Junk’s dad said.
Fire Chief Pat Treloar said he was impressed with how well Junk continued to work after his diagnosis.
“He had a lot of medical challenges, and we all knew that, but he came to work with a great attitude. He was courageous, and we could all learn something from him,” Chief Treloar said. “A lot of days he was at work, I’m sure most of us wouldn’t have been at work. We could see he was struggling, but he was still here and still doing his job.”
Junk leaves behind his wife and four children.
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