Episode 6

Podsdale Episode 6: Peck's Trek

Published on: 21st June, 2021

Reaching the highest point in the world has long been an object of fascination, but for Scottsdale Fire Chief Tom Shannon, his recent trek up Mt. Everest served a higher purpose. Host Holly Walter talks to Chief Shannon about the milestone climb and his reason behind it -- to raise awareness and honor his late nephew, Goodyear Firefighter Austin Peck, as well as other fallen firefighters who have lost their lives to occupational cancer. 

Podsdale celebrates the city of Scottsdale's employees, highlights their stories and accomplishments, and shares city news they need to know.

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Transcript
Holly Walter:

Welcome to Podsdale, I'm your

Holly Walter:

host Public Affairs Supervisor Holly Walter.

Holly Walter:

Reaching the highest point in the world has long

Holly Walter:

been an object of fascination for many explorers,

Holly Walter:

risk seekers, and the above average traveler.

Holly Walter:

For some it's a bucket list item, for others,

Holly Walter:

it's a physical and emotional challenge worth

Holly Walter:

taking, but for some, it serves a higher purpose.

Holly Walter:

And that was the case for Scottsdale's very own Tom Shannon,

Holly Walter:

our Fire Chief, who's joining me on the podcast today.

Holly Walter:

He's talking to us about his trek up Mount

Holly Walter:

Everest, and the special purpose behind it.

Holly Walter:

But first let's go to Stephanie

Holly Walter:

Herata for this episode's Fast Five.

Stephanie Hirata:

Hi, I'm Public Affairs

Stephanie Hirata:

Specialist, Stephanie Hirata with five fast

Stephanie Hirata:

things happening around the city you need to know.

Stephanie Hirata:

We start the list at number five by sharing a friendly

Stephanie Hirata:

reminder to bag and tie your garbage and grass.

Stephanie Hirata:

It's a tip that's particularly important this time of year.

Stephanie Hirata:

Reducing spillage during the summer

Stephanie Hirata:

heat minimizes odors and pest problems.

Stephanie Hirata:

It's more than just a good idea, it's the law.

Stephanie Hirata:

Get more refuse tips on our website

Stephanie Hirata:

ScottsdaleAZ.gov and search 'solid waste'.

Stephanie Hirata:

Number four is about post-traumatic stress disorder, something

Stephanie Hirata:

that impacts about 8 million people in the United States.

Stephanie Hirata:

But did you know that higher rates of PTSD are found in veterans?

Stephanie Hirata:

You can learn more by attending the first annual Arizona

Stephanie Hirata:

Department of Veteran Affairs Summit on post-traumatic stress.

Stephanie Hirata:

It will be held virtually from 9:00

Stephanie Hirata:

AM to noon, Tuesday on June 29th.

Stephanie Hirata:

The summit is free and open to the public.

Stephanie Hirata:

Visit ScottsdaleAZ.gov and search

Stephanie Hirata:

'PTSD summit' for the link to register.

Stephanie Hirata:

Alice Cooper and his Andy Warhol take our number three spot.

Stephanie Hirata:

You can get a rare opportunity to view rockstar,

Stephanie Hirata:

Alice Cooper's, legendary acrylic and silkscreen ink

Stephanie Hirata:

on canvas Little Electric Chair in person from 5:30

Stephanie Hirata:

to 7:30 PM on Thursday, June 24th at Larsen Gallery.

Stephanie Hirata:

As part of Scottsdale Art Walk, attendees will also be

Stephanie Hirata:

treated to a performance by indie folk, singer songwriters,

Stephanie Hirata:

Sophie Dorsten from Cooper's Solid Rock Foundation.

Stephanie Hirata:

Scottsdale's Legacy Quest is at number two, your

Stephanie Hirata:

mission, should you choose to accept, it is to take

Stephanie Hirata:

part in Scottsdale's 70th Anniversary Legacy Quest.

Stephanie Hirata:

It starts at 6:30 PM on Friday, June 25th

Stephanie Hirata:

in front of the Little Red School House.

Stephanie Hirata:

You'll be tasked to follow along on a family friendly

Stephanie Hirata:

expedition that tests your Scottsdale knowledge.

Stephanie Hirata:

And if you're a history lover, there is a special trail just

Stephanie Hirata:

for you that uncovers even juicier bits of Scottsdale history.

Stephanie Hirata:

To register for this free event, visit

Stephanie Hirata:

ScottsdaleAZ.gov and search 'legacy quest'.

Stephanie Hirata:

Our number one Fast Five spot goes to Pride Month.

Stephanie Hirata:

Nationally, Pride Month is celebrated annually in

Stephanie Hirata:

June, but in Scottsdale, we take pride year round

Stephanie Hirata:

in perpetually celebrating the LGBTQ community.

Stephanie Hirata:

Our city has been a long time supporter of LGBTQ pride.

Stephanie Hirata:

This includes having a fully inclusive employment policy and an

Stephanie Hirata:

employment benefits provision for transgender health insurance.

Stephanie Hirata:

Earlier this year, the Scottsdale City Council voted

Stephanie Hirata:

unanimously to adopt an anti-discrimination ordinance.

Stephanie Hirata:

Mayor Ortega issued a proclamation to recognize

Stephanie Hirata:

pride month and the city also plans to participate

Stephanie Hirata:

in the Phoenix Pride Parade in November.

Stephanie Hirata:

It's all part of our continued work to support true equality

Stephanie Hirata:

for all people, no matter who they are or who they love.

Stephanie Hirata:

And that's our Fast Five for this episode of Podsdale.

Stephanie Hirata:

Got something for a future Fast Five?

Stephanie Hirata:

Tell us by emailing communications@ScottsdaleAZ.gov.

Stephanie Hirata:

I'll turn it back over to you, Holly.

Holly Walter:

Thank you, Stephanie, before

Holly Walter:

I talk to Chief Shannon, I would like to

Holly Walter:

congratulate Police Analyst, Lance Davidson.

Holly Walter:

He's our recent Podsdale trivia question winner.

Holly Walter:

And he was correct in saying that Brad Hartig

Holly Walter:

and Reed Pryor collectively had 46 years

Holly Walter:

of city service before their retirements.

Holly Walter:

Congratulations, Lance, if you would like to be Podsdale's

Holly Walter:

next trivia question winner, listen for our question

Holly Walter:

and further instructions at the end of the episode.

Holly Walter:

I am so honored to have Chief Tom Shannon on the podcast.

Holly Walter:

In April, Chief Shannon was part of a team that

Holly Walter:

completed an 80 mile trek up and down Mount Everest

Holly Walter:

Known now as Peck's Trek in memory of someone

Holly Walter:

incredibly important to him, his nephew, Austin Peck.

Holly Walter:

So Chief Shannon has joined us today to not only share

Holly Walter:

his experience, but more importantly, share the mission

Holly Walter:

behind his journey, which is to bring awareness to the

Holly Walter:

very real risk of occupational cancer in fire service.

Holly Walter:

Chief, thank you so much for being here today.

Chief Shannon:

Thanks for having me.

Holly Walter:

Let's start with Austin.

Holly Walter:

Your nephew was a firefighter for Goodyear Fire

Holly Walter:

Department who passed away in 2019 after a four

Holly Walter:

year battle with a rare form of occupational cancer.

Holly Walter:

You also referred to Austin, and I love this, as

Holly Walter:

a "firefighters firefighter, he loved the service

Holly Walter:

and love to help people" tell us more about him.

Chief Shannon:

Yeah, so he was the quintessential little,

Chief Shannon:

a little, a Yosemite Sam type, banty rooster, firefighter.

Chief Shannon:

He's about, he barely five foot tall.

Chief Shannon:

I mean, we're not very big people in my family,

Chief Shannon:

but he he's about, oh, maybe five foot three, but

Chief Shannon:

boy, his heart, it was that of a seven footer.

Chief Shannon:

Loved the fire service, that you started out as a wild land

Chief Shannon:

firefighter, but he really, really loved the fire service,

Chief Shannon:

structural firefighting and love the interacting with people.

Chief Shannon:

He worked out in Goodyear where oddly four firefighters about

Chief Shannon:

his age came down with cancer over a period of a couple of years.

Chief Shannon:

It was just odd.

Chief Shannon:

It, it was, it was anomalous, if you will.

Chief Shannon:

And his cancer was extremely rare form of cancer

Chief Shannon:

called sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma and

Chief Shannon:

SNUC is really only acquired in industrial settings.

Chief Shannon:

It's so rare, but most all of this research shows that

Chief Shannon:

it's related to some sort of an industrial exposure.

Chief Shannon:

And so that kind of enters us into this world

Chief Shannon:

of, of understanding how firefighters are cared

Chief Shannon:

for and and what we can do to prevent exposures.

Chief Shannon:

But Austin was, his tenacity was awesome because SNUC

Chief Shannon:

victims typically only live about a year, six months to a

Chief Shannon:

year if that, but that rascal fought for nearly four years.

Chief Shannon:

And he, he gave it everything had, but, what it did

Chief Shannon:

do, and, and it was, it was timely in that it brought

Chief Shannon:

awareness to the deficiencies in how we were protecting

Chief Shannon:

our firefighters in terms of workplace related cancer.

Holly Walter:

Right?

Holly Walter:

Because unfortunately, part of the battle he faced was not only

Holly Walter:

with the cancer, but obtaining coverage during that, correct?

Chief Shannon:

Yeah, absolutely.

Chief Shannon:

So it's an expensive endeavor to treat someone with cancer.

Chief Shannon:

It's not like a broken ankle that can heal over six weeks.

Chief Shannon:

It's quite expensive.

Chief Shannon:

And so most cities are insured.

Chief Shannon:

There was immediate pushback and denial of claims and that was

Chief Shannon:

really ultimately, never resolved despite its acceptance by

Chief Shannon:

the Public Safety Retirement System as a work-related cancer.

Chief Shannon:

But what it did bring to light is that the statutes that

Chief Shannon:

protected firefighters, related to presumptive cancer.

Chief Shannon:

So there's about a dozen cancers that impact firefighters that

Chief Shannon:

are unquestionably and undeniably related to firefighting,

Chief Shannon:

and so that statute needed some massaging and some changing.

Chief Shannon:

And so senators, Boyer, and Carter both took

Chief Shannon:

on that renewal and refreshing of that statute.

Chief Shannon:

Well, COVID hit, at the end of that legislative

Chief Shannon:

season, and it kind of postpone the vote.

Chief Shannon:

Essentially, they closed the legislative session,

Chief Shannon:

and so we had this year, additional year, to wait.

Chief Shannon:

Well, we use that year to really garner the support of

Chief Shannon:

anybody who would listen to the plight of firefighters

Chief Shannon:

who now are succumbing more to cancer than we are to

Chief Shannon:

heart disease or buildings fall on our heads or any of

Chief Shannon:

the other things that injure firefighters substantially.

Chief Shannon:

So cancer is the number one concern in the fire service now.

Chief Shannon:

And it's not understand, it's not, not understandable.

Chief Shannon:

It's not good grammar, but buildings are made with new products.

Chief Shannon:

Those new products are made with chemicals, those

Chief Shannon:

chemicals when burning produce cancer causing agents.

Chief Shannon:

And so we know that we have to tactically be different.

Holly Walter:

Correct.

Holly Walter:

Yeah.

Holly Walter:

And I know you've mentioned in past interviews, you've

Holly Walter:

said firefighters are risking their lives in more

Holly Walter:

and more serious ways in contemporary fire service.

Holly Walter:

And that's what you're referring to, due to the types

Holly Walter:

of fires you encounter and the materials burned.

Holly Walter:

It sounds like.

Chief Shannon:

Oh, absolutely.

Chief Shannon:

Yeah.

Chief Shannon:

The traditional older homes used to burn fairly clean.

Chief Shannon:

I can remember as a young firefighter, you'd

Chief Shannon:

go home, smell like an ashtray, but you rarely

Chief Shannon:

tasted the fire or the metals in your saliva.

Chief Shannon:

Late into the 90's and early 2000's, we began

Chief Shannon:

going home tasting metals and things like that.

Chief Shannon:

And, and offgassing in a way that our

Chief Shannon:

family would say, you smell like a chemical.

Chief Shannon:

And so, we knew that something was going on there and we needed

Chief Shannon:

to really engage that process in terms of how we're exposing

Chief Shannon:

ourselves and what we're doing to decontaminate ourselves.

Chief Shannon:

And then certainly understanding what's burning.

Chief Shannon:

Cause it's a hazmat call.

Chief Shannon:

Every fire now is a hazmat call.

Chief Shannon:

And so that's really kind of the approach

Chief Shannon:

that we've taken because this isn't all on the

Chief Shannon:

insurance companies, this isn't all on cities.

Chief Shannon:

We have to be smarter about how we fight fire.

Holly Walter:

It's a, it's an important

Holly Walter:

message to share with everyone all around.

Holly Walter:

Chief, when did you begin thinking about taking Austin's story

Holly Walter:

and turning that into the trek that you made with your group?

Chief Shannon:

So, a former Scottsdale

Chief Shannon:

firefighter named Jim Dooley came to me.

Chief Shannon:

He wanted an exit interview, he was retiring.

Chief Shannon:

He said, you know what?

Chief Shannon:

I'm going to Mount Everest to take a prayer flag up for Austin.

Chief Shannon:

He, he had befriended Austin's wife and their daughters,

Chief Shannon:

and he was taking a prayer flag and he says, you should go.

Chief Shannon:

And I said, okay.

Chief Shannon:

And so that was it.

Chief Shannon:

And the listeners may not know that we held Austin's

Chief Shannon:

wake at his favorite Irish pub, the Dubliner, in Phoenix.

Chief Shannon:

And the bar manager at the Dubliner was David Grefka

Chief Shannon:

and David succumb to cancer a few months after Austin.

Chief Shannon:

So the bar owner and some other bar folks from the Dubliner

Chief Shannon:

and then Jim Dooley and myself, and a couple other folks

Chief Shannon:

made this trek about memorializing those that have fallen in

Chief Shannon:

public safety to not only cancer, but in the line of duty.

Chief Shannon:

And that hiatus that we had during COVID provided us the

Chief Shannon:

opportunity to garner like hundreds and hundreds of prayer flags.

Chief Shannon:

I, the, the satchel that I carried, I think weighed 25 pounds

Chief Shannon:

and it was nothing but prayer flags and those are light.

Chief Shannon:

And so we, we embarked on this and, and it was, it was.

Chief Shannon:

It was extremely cathartic, the whole process was, and

Chief Shannon:

when we started tying them off it, it really felt like we

Chief Shannon:

were kind of closing a chapter of, for so many families,

Chief Shannon:

the Yarnell 19, Governor Ducey sent flags with us.

Chief Shannon:

So many of our friends here at the city did, friends

Chief Shannon:

in the Scottsdale community who have lost loved

Chief Shannon:

ones to cancer provided us prayer flags and, and

Chief Shannon:

it was just an enormously overwhelming experience.

Holly Walter:

That had to be an incredible moment.

Chief Shannon:

It was, yeah.

Holly Walter:

Now also, in fact, on that day,

Holly Walter:

when you reached the base camp for the tie off.

Holly Walter:

Governor Ducey signed into law,

Holly Walter:

what you mentioned Senate bill 1451.

Holly Walter:

And that bill strengthens the presumption that a

Holly Walter:

firefighter's cancer diagnosis is work-related.

Holly Walter:

It ensures more firefighters are eligible for workers'

Holly Walter:

comp, so they can spend more time focusing on their

Holly Walter:

health and family, less time fighting for the benefits.

Chief Shannon:

Yeah, it really was an important thing.

Chief Shannon:

And, and I was sweating because as we were, as we were climbing

Chief Shannon:

and we went to we went to about 1200 feet higher than base camp,

Chief Shannon:

to a place called Kalapathar because it gives you the best view

Chief Shannon:

of Mount Everest and Lhotse and Nipsey, the three peaks there.

Chief Shannon:

And up until that moment he had not signed the bill.

Chief Shannon:

And then we thought, oh no, is he getting cold feet or something?

Chief Shannon:

Well, no, he was just being masterful

Chief Shannon:

about the timing of his signing.

Chief Shannon:

And they were literally watching us and preparing

Chief Shannon:

for us to be ready to tie off the flags.

Chief Shannon:

And as we were tying them off, he signed the bill.

Holly Walter:

Oh that's exciting.

Chief Shannon:

So it was, the timing was perfect.

Chief Shannon:

And we were, we were so excited to do that.

Chief Shannon:

And then I sent out all the videos of each flag, strand being

Chief Shannon:

tied off to, to everyone, including the Governor's office.

Holly Walter:

Wow.

Chief Shannon:

Yeah, it was cool.

Holly Walter:

That's really cool.

Holly Walter:

Now, how did you physically prepare for this?

Holly Walter:

I'm sure that took some work before you even left.

Chief Shannon:

It did.

Chief Shannon:

Yeah, it did.

Chief Shannon:

And It's a funny story because Johnny O'Connell who owns

Chief Shannon:

Dubliner not only had cancer, has cancer and is fighting it

Chief Shannon:

himself, but he had climbed out of the hospital bed 30 days

Chief Shannon:

before we left, after having COVID and being on chemotherapy.

Chief Shannon:

And we had been training for a year and a half, half

Chief Shannon:

climbing up Mount Humphreys all summer long and just,

Chief Shannon:

well, I think I spent most of my time in the preserve

Chief Shannon:

just getting aerobically fit and that rascal got to

Chief Shannon:

the same heights we did after training for 30 days.

Chief Shannon:

So I'd like to say that all the training

Chief Shannon:

really paid off and it did, I'm quite sure.

Chief Shannon:

But if, Johnny O' could do it after climbing out of

Chief Shannon:

a hospital bed, I don't have much to complain about.

Holly Walter:

That's some inspiration.

Chief Shannon:

It was!

Chief Shannon:

While we were, we were just shaking our head.

Chief Shannon:

I mean, I don't know what he was fueled by, but he got up there.

Holly Walter:

You mentioned COVID-19 delaying

Holly Walter:

some of your efforts and the trip itself.

Holly Walter:

Did it also impact any other portions of this journey?

Chief Shannon:

It did.

Chief Shannon:

So getting into, Katmandu and Nepal was difficult.

Chief Shannon:

Certainly all of the testing was required.

Chief Shannon:

We were all vaccinated and when we went, but

Chief Shannon:

just about the time that we arriving the Asian

Chief Shannon:

variant in India and China was kicking up.

Chief Shannon:

One of our members actually contracted COVID

Chief Shannon:

prior to us starting our Trek while in Katmandu.

Chief Shannon:

And we didn't know it, he got sick and had to be sent home.

Chief Shannon:

Well, when we all got back to Katmandu to fly back, four

Chief Shannon:

of the seven of us tested positive, I was not one of them,

Chief Shannon:

but on the day that I left Katmandu, I began feeling ill.

Chief Shannon:

And by the time I landed, in Arizona, I was sick with COVID.

Chief Shannon:

So we all pretty much got COVID.

Chief Shannon:

We got the Asian variant of it, despite being vaccinated.

Chief Shannon:

And that's, you know, that happens, you know, you,

Chief Shannon:

you still get the flu, even with flu vaccine, it's

Chief Shannon:

just a different strain, but I guarantee you, it would

Chief Shannon:

have been a lot worse, had I not been vaccinated.

Holly Walter:

Wow.

Chief Shannon:

Yeah.

Chief Shannon:

And right now, Mount Everest is essentially closed

Chief Shannon:

to anyone who is not permitted to summit and pretty

Chief Shannon:

much the summiting season is pretty much closed.

Chief Shannon:

Anyway, what's crazy about that whole region

Chief Shannon:

is the window to climb is very brief because

Chief Shannon:

of the volatility of the ice flow there.

Chief Shannon:

And that was never more real than

Chief Shannon:

when we were standing at base camp.

Chief Shannon:

And you, you could hear and feel thunder under your

Chief Shannon:

feet because you're standing on a moving glacier.

Chief Shannon:

It was crazy.

Holly Walter:

Any other memorable portions of

Holly Walter:

the trip you'd like to share to the listeners?

Chief Shannon:

Well not to be a braggart,

Chief Shannon:

but I am the only person who ever has played

Chief Shannon:

bagpipes at the highest pub on the planet.

Chief Shannon:

There you go.

Chief Shannon:

And it was very, it was terrible sound

Chief Shannon:

that came out, but I did play 'em.

Chief Shannon:

And you know, just the comradery, really, the last thing

Chief Shannon:

is, is, you know, and I said it in another interview, you

Chief Shannon:

don't need to go to Mount Everest to memorialize the folks

Chief Shannon:

you've lost, but Is important to, particularly for public

Chief Shannon:

safety folks, to be aware of what the hazards are to think

Chief Shannon:

about those folks who have been lost before and then change

Chief Shannon:

what we do either on the prevention side or in, or in

Chief Shannon:

the supportive care side so that we don't lose any more.

Chief Shannon:

And that was really what this trek was about.

Chief Shannon:

And then, kind of put into bed the, the pain of losing Austin.

Holly Walter:

Sure.

Holly Walter:

I think this trip really does hit home for

Holly Walter:

so many who have lost loved ones to cancer.

Chief Shannon:

I hope so.

Holly Walter:

You know, what are the next steps in terms of

Holly Walter:

bringing awareness to occupational cancers in the fire service?

Chief Shannon:

Well, thank you for that.

Chief Shannon:

There's, we have certainly been

Chief Shannon:

awakened, so it's clean buildings.

Chief Shannon:

We help, we have a lot of information on how to

Chief Shannon:

keep fire stations clean, and fire trucks clean.

Chief Shannon:

We, how to exchange turnouts in a way that keeps

Chief Shannon:

as much of the toxins off of them all the time.

Chief Shannon:

Firefighting, tactics and strategy have changed.

Chief Shannon:

Once we determined that there's no live person

Chief Shannon:

in that house and there are no live pets.

Chief Shannon:

We are going to really treat that,

Chief Shannon:

that location, as a hazmat call.

Chief Shannon:

Whereas before years in in the past, I know you

Chief Shannon:

have family in the fire service, we used to,

Chief Shannon:

we used to hang out in there for a long time.

Chief Shannon:

And now we know that, that's we are now the exposure.

Chief Shannon:

So we've gotta be smarter about how we fight fire.

Chief Shannon:

And that's probably the biggest change in the

Chief Shannon:

fire service really in the last five to 10 years.

Chief Shannon:

Because it's an epidemic, I mean, every

Chief Shannon:

department has been touched by cancer.

Holly Walter:

Well, thank you for bringing

Holly Walter:

awareness to a very important topic.

Holly Walter:

I do want to read a quote, another quote of yours.

Holly Walter:

I came across as I was gathering some information for this

Holly Walter:

interview, because I think it's a great way to sum this up,

Holly Walter:

but you said "I would encourage everyone to do difficult

Holly Walter:

things to help heal yourself and others from the pain of

Holly Walter:

loss, it doesn't have to be Everest, but as they say, we

Holly Walter:

can either lose ourselves in the loss of others, or we

Holly Walter:

can leverage the experiences of the loss to help others.

Holly Walter:

I say we do the latter."

Chief Shannon:

Yeah.

Chief Shannon:

Yeah.

Chief Shannon:

I mean, we got to keep living, right?

Holly Walter:

Absolutely.

Holly Walter:

For sure.

Holly Walter:

Chief, thank you so much for joining

Holly Walter:

us today and sharing Austin's story.

Chief Shannon:

My pleasure.

Chief Shannon:

Thanks.

Holly Walter:

And that's it for this episode of Podsdale,

Holly Walter:

but before I go, here's this week's trivia question.

Holly Walter:

What is the name of Alice Cooper's Warhol?

Holly Walter:

Email your answer to communications@scottsdaleAZ.gov

Holly Walter:

for your chance to win and be sure to join

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Podsdale
A City of Scottsdale Podcast
Podsdale celebrates the City of Scottsdale and helps people stay up to date on the latest news from the city. Subscribe to be "in the know" about the West's Most Western Town!