Raymond Vargas Jr., a fire lieutenant for the Baltimore County Fire Department, passed away on Thursday, March 27, from cancer. A memorial service was held in his honour, and hundreds of people attended.
In addition to being a buddy and a leader, Vargas was regarded as a mentor. He worked out of Baltimore County Fire Station 55 in Perry Hall.
In accordance with the directive issued by Maryland Governor Wes Moore, the flags of both Maryland and the United States were lowered to half-staff until Wednesday evening, the day of his burial.
“The coolest, chillest tio”
In the course of the memorial service for Vargas, his niece, Aisha Vargas, delivered a speech on behalf of the group. His name is “tio,” which means “uncle” in Spanish.
“While many may know him as Ray or Raymond, we know him as tio, as dad, as son, as little bro, as cousin — the calmest out of all the Vargas sisters,” Aisha Vargas stated in her interview. “Always the coolest, bestest, chillest tio.”
As the youngest of five children, Lt. Vargas spent his childhood in the Bronx, New York, with the aspiration of fulfilling his ambition of becoming a fireman. Because of the intensity of his desire, he ended up in Baltimore County, where he worked as a firefighter for a period of twelve years.
According to the Chief of Fire for Baltimore County, Joseph Dixon Sr., “His legacy is not solely defined by his talent.” “He was a devoted father, a devoted husband and friend whose love for those around him knew no bounds.”
Many people referred to Vargas as a guide and described him as the kind of person who frequently check in with his contemporaries and his mother.
“He clearly cared deeply about the civilians in his care, his brothers and sisters in the fire department, and all of his friends,” said Eddie Mayorga, a relative of the Vargas family. “He was a gentleman who was always there for his friends.” “But when you mention love in the same breath as Raymond, we cannot fail to mention his inspiration, his foundation, his family.”
The struggle that firefighters face against cancer
As a result of Maryland’s Occupational Disease Presumption statute, Lieutenant Vargas’s demise is considered to be a Line of Duty Death. The fact that firefighters are exposed to harmful substances on the job puts them at a higher risk of developing cancer is acknowledged by this document.
A cancer diagnosis is one of the most significant dangers that firefighters face in terms of their health and safety.
In the years between 2002 and 2019, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) found that cancer was the cause of death for 66% of the career firefighters who died while on the job. There were 18% of career LODDs that were caused by heart disease throughout the same time span.
Seventy percent of the deaths that occurred in the line of duty for career firefighters in 2016 were caused by cancer.
A study conducted by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that firefighters have a 9% greater chance of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer compared to the general population in the United States.
Baltimore County Fire lieutenant who died of cancer remembered as devoted father and husband.
