Name: Richard W. Leonard
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 70
Gender: Male
Status: Career
Years of Service: 20
Date of Incident: 04/19/1993
Time of Incident: 1220hrs
Date of Death: 07/30/2017
Fire Department: Perth Amboy Fire Department
Address: 375 New Brunswick Ave, Perth Amboy, NJ 08861
Fire Department Chief: Edward A. Mullen
Incident Description: Firefighter Richard W. Leonard was operating a pumper at a fire on State Street in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, on April 19, 1993. The fire involved a recycling facility with plastics. Firefighter Leonard did not have breathing air and worked in the highly toxic plastic burning smoke for hours. Leonard never returned to duty and spent the last 24 years under workers' compensation care for continuous medical conditions caused from inhaling the smoke. Firefighter Leonard died on July 30, 2017 due to the effects of the smoke exposure.
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