Ken Bodinnar has always believed in giving back to the community.
asserted
Bodinnar → believe → community
The 73-year-old from Paynesville, almost 300 kilometres east of Melbourne, has lived a life of service, including nearly 50 years volunteering and later as an operations officer for the State Emergency Service (SES).
But instead of enjoying a quiet retirement, Mr Bodinnar is battling small-cell lung cancer his doctors believe is a result of his service while trying to have his compensation claim recognised.
uncertain
claim → live → service
Mr Bodinnar saw the worst
asserted
Bodinnar → see → worst
the environment could throw at him, including the 2009 Black Saturday fires and the Black Summer fires in East Gippsland a decade later
uncertain
environment → throw → Gippsland
He never shirked his task.
asserted
He → shirk → task
"My father was a great believer in leaving the place a better way than you found it, in service to the community," he said.
asserted
he → leave → community
"That was something that just stuck in me."
asserted
that → stick → me
Mr Bodinnar fell sick earlier this year, and his doctors say it is unlikely he will see Christmas.
asserted
he → fall → Christmas
Now, Mr Bodinnar is fighting to have his duty recognised through workers' compensation to ensure his family is taken care of when he is gone.
asserted
he → fight → care
He is speaking publicly about it for the first time to warn other volunteers.
asserted
He → speak → volunteers
"Not a lot of people understand the dangers of certain occupations," he said.
asserted
he → understand → occupations
"Some people they see the flashing lights and all the bells and whistles as they say, but sometimes it comes at a cost."
asserted
it → see → cost
Through his career, Mr Bodinnar held roles including fireman, boat operator and operations officer.
asserted
Bodinnar → hold → fireman
He said the worst conditions he faced were during the Black Saturday fires near Traralgon, in 2009, when he was called to the fire front.
asserted
he → say → front
"The wind was blowing limbs and branches that were striking the car, and it [the car] was skidding across the ground like it was a full-on storm," he said.
asserted
he → blow → ground
It was a job where he said he was exposed to smoke and toxins.
asserted
he → say → smoke
"I could … not only smell the smoke, but smell the heat.
uncertain
I → smell → heat
I could virtually smell the flames," he said.
uncertain
he → smell → flames
"I thought the fire was just around the corner and I thought, 'This is the day I die.'"
asserted
I → think → corner
Mr Bodinnar was presented with the National Emergency Medal for his service during the fires.
asserted
Bodinnar → present → fires
Mr Bodinnar said cancer crept up on him in the form of a persistent cough.
asserted
cancer → say → cough
After a series of doctor appointments and scans, he was referred to a lung specialist in December last year.
asserted
he → refer → December
"In my upper left lung was this big red truck tail light, and he said, 'I'm sorry Ken, but that's cancer'," Mr Bodinnar said.
asserted
Bodinnar → say → lung
After three weeks of double-dose radiation with chemotherapy, followed by another two doses of chemotherapy, his condition seemed to be improving.
asserted
condition → follow → chemotherapy
But a routine scan to check for chemotherapy damage revealed the cancer had spread to his liver.
asserted
cancer → check → liver
"We missed the gate.
asserted
We → miss → gate
The rabbit got out before the gate shut,"he said.
asserted
gate → get → ?
Mr Bodinnar and his family are fighting to establish a workers' compensation claim for his years of exposure at the SES.
uncertain
Bodinnar → fight → SES
His treating physician said his exposure to fire smoke, diesel exhaust fumes and asbestos made a "material contribution" to the development of his cancer.
asserted
exposure → treat → cancer
SES's WorkCover insurers rejected the claim, finding Mr Bodinnar did not sustain his illness during his employment, and work was not a contributing factor.
uncertain
work → reject → employment
"I thought, you've got to be kidding me, you deployed me to numerous fires … in the name of SES,"he said.
asserted
you → think → SES,"he
Maurice Blackburn lawyer Ross Sottile, who specialises in dust diseases, attempted to have the claim fast-tracked, but it failed at conciliation as the insurers failed to produce their own medical evidence in time.
uncertain
insurers → specialise → time
"The main reason was because the insurer couldn't get a medical report fast enough," Mr Sottile said.
"
asserted
Sottile → get → report
The case was also rejected on the basis they did not agree with the fact that Mr Bodinnar was exposed to diesel and fire smoke in the course of his employment."
asserted
Bodinnar → reject → employment
Mr Sottile said despite the conciliation process being intended to fast-track cases, it was not suitable for cases like Mr Boddinar's.
asserted
it → say → Boddinar
Mr Bodinnar's health continued to deteriorate, with his doctor warning he might not make Christmas.
uncertain
he → continue → Christmas
The insurers finally produced two medical reports in August, one from doctor David Fish, which found there was "no doubt" that exposure to firefighting smoke and diesel fumes were a "significant contributing factor" to the development of his condition.
asserted
exposure → produce → condition
Mr Sottile said his team had to wait weeks for the employer to grant them access to Dr Fish's report and they did not have access to it until early October.
asserted
they → say → October
The second report, from doctor Ross Jennens, found Mr Bodinnar's cancer was likely to have been caused by his history of smoking, and it was unclear whether he was exposed to asbestos or smoke during the course of his work.
uncertain
he → find → work
"If he has had significant exposure to inhaled asbestos dust or fibres, or diesel fumes during the course of his employment, this may have contributed a minor increased risk of developing small cell lung cancer," Dr Jennens concluded in his report.
uncertain
Jennens → have → report
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia