An EKG technician with Advocate BroMenn Medical Center performs an electrocardiogram on engineer John McCann with the Normal Fire Department Wednesday at the Normal Fire Department Headquarters. (Joe Ragusa/WJBC)

By Joe Ragusa

NORMAL – Three Normal firefighters have died over the past two years from cardiovascular disease. That fact is why Normal Fire Chief Mick Humer reached out to Advocate BroMenn Medical Center to see if they could help stop what Wellness and Outreach Specialist Allison Wholf calls a "preventable" disease.

"Unfortunately, a lot of times the symptoms for cardiovascular disease either go unnoticed or are not treated in a timely manner, and that is where we run into problems," Wholf said.

Normal firefighters will be given a free electrocardiogram, or EKG examination, over the next three days, Wholf said.

Engineer John McCann was one of the first firefighters to receive an EKG Wednesday. He said the death of his colleagues from heart disease was a surprise.

"It was a pretty big shock, I think, to all of us," McCann said. "I think all of us needed a reminder to think about (heart health) more."

Normal firefighters Nick Whitfield, Rob Aper and Jeff Hilton have all died from heart-related issues over the past two years. The oldest of the three, Whitfield, was 48 when he died.

Wholf said the cost of the electrocardiograms are being covered by Advocate BroMenn. The town of Normal and Normal Firefighters Local 2442 is covering the cost of a follow-up appointment.

Joe Ragusa can be reached at [email protected].