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Firefighter's death is linked to hepatitis C
By AMY HERDY © St. Petersburg Times, published January 23, 2001 TAMPA -- Jack Barker, a 22-year veteran firefighter and paramedic with Tampa Fire Rescue, died unexpectedly at home over the weekend from apparent complications of hepatitis C, which officials believe he contracted on the job. Mr. Barker was 45. His death came as a shock to family, friends and co-workers, said his wife of 22 years, Jinkey Barker. "His doctors always figured he was tolerating the disease real well," she said. He was diagnosed about five years ago, though doctors could not pinpoint when he contracted it, she said. Her husband was never bitter, Mrs. Barker said. "He really was one of the most positive people I ever met in my life," she said. "He never complained about anything." A firefighter from 1978 until being promoted to driver engineer in 1997, Mr. Barker was also a member of the hazardous materials team since 1987 and an emergency medical technician, said Tampa Fire Rescue spokesman Capt. Bill Wade. Wade said Mr. Barker is presumed to have been exposed to hepatitis C through contact with an infected person's blood sometime during the late 1980s or early 1990s. At that time, Wade said, experts did not realize the disease posed a threat to emergency medical technicians. Hepatitis C affects 4-million Americans and leads to complications that kill 10,000 people a year, according to the American Liver Foundation. Many carry the disease for years without knowing it. It can be detected with a simple blood test. No cure exists, but treatments can slow the virus or even put it into remission. For a time, Mr. Barker underwent treatment for hepatitis C, his wife said, but stopped when it did not appear to help. Despite that, he showed few symptoms of the disease, she said, other than being tired. Mr. Barker apparently died Saturday night or Sunday morning, Wade said. "At this point, everything is pointing to the hepatitis C damaging his liver and causing his death," he said. He said Mr. Barker was known for his humor and enthusiasm for his work. "He loved his job," Wade said. "He was a wonderful human being, and he will be sorely missed." One of Mr. Barker's friends and co-workers, Capt. Gary Allen, agreed. "He believed in helping people," Allen said. "It didn't matter who you were, or where you were from. If he could get it for you, it was yours." Allen said he last talked with Mr. Barker on Saturday morning, as he prepared a float for Gasparilla. "He was in good spirits," Allen recalled. "He had no inkling the disease had flared up." And whenever he did talk about it, Allen said, it was only to caution others. "He would say, "Just make sure you put your stuff on. Be safe tonight,' " he remembered. "He was always concerned about the other guy." -- Amy Herdy can be reached at (813) 226-3386 or herdy@sptimes.com.
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