Third-generation Toronto firefighter hopeful honours family legacy after two workplace cancer deaths
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Third-generation Toronto firefighter hopeful honours family legacy after two workplace cancer deaths
Liam Coles is training to join Toronto Fire Services, hoping to follow his father and grandfather after both died from occupational cancer.
News
Third-generation Toronto firefighter hopeful honours family legacy after two workplace cancer deaths
Liam Coles is training to join Toronto Fire Services, hoping to follow his father and grandfather after both died from occupational cancer.
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By Torontoer Staff
Liam Coles is training to become the third generation in his family to join Toronto Fire Services, following his father and grandfather, both career firefighters who later died from work-related cancer. He has set his sights on Station 331 on Claremont Street, where both men served.
At his college convocation, uniformed Toronto firefighters stood in the side doors to honour him and his late father. Seeing that presence made the moment unmistakably about more than a diploma: it underscored how service, loss and community have shaped his choice.
Family and the fire hall
Coles, 20, grew up visiting fire halls. Both his father, Sean Coles, and his grandfather, Brian Coles, spent decades with Toronto Fire Services. Sean served 24 years and reached the rank of captain. Brian served as a district chief. Coles describes the fire hall as a second home, a place that mixed humour and readiness with sudden seriousness when alarms sounded.
I kind of want to keep the blood going through that hall, even if it’s just for a little bit.
Liam Coles
Those ties tightened after both men became ill. Sean Coles was diagnosed with cancer shortly after Liam finished high school and died on June 12, 2024. Eight months later, on Feb. 12, Liam’s grandfather also died from work-related cancer linked to his time in the fire service. The losses came from the same occupational risks that had defined their careers.
Training and plans
After finishing a pre-service firefighter course at Georgian College, Coles enrolled in a fire prevention program at Durham College. He is preparing for the physical and mental demands of firefighting while navigating a competitive hiring process. Toronto remains his primary target, and he hopes to serve at Station 331 where his father and grandfather worked.
Coles has kept up visits to his father’s old hall. Firefighters there still greet him with a firm handshake. Those visits serve both as a source of support and a reminder of what he hopes to carry forward: practical skills, steady leadership and the ability to help people during emergencies.
It becomes a brotherhood. Seeing all the support my dad got from his friends when he did get diagnosed was incredible.
Liam Coles
Risk and resilience
Firefighters face elevated cancer risks due to repeated exposure to carcinogenic substances, according to a 2022 study. Those occupational hazards informed family conversations and increased his mother’s worries, but they did not deter Coles from pursuing the job.
Coles says the losses strengthened his resolve. He frames his decision in terms of service and continuity, and in the belief that firefighting is a calling. He also notes the impact his father left behind: medals, life-saving interventions and a network of colleagues who showed up for the family in difficult moments.
He was the hero. I didn’t realize how much of an impact he made until he passed away.
Liam Coles
- Sean Coles: 24 years with Toronto Fire Services, rose to captain
- Brian Coles: served as a district chief
- June 12, 2024: Sean Coles died from occupational cancer
- Feb. 12 (eight months later): Liam’s grandfather died from work-related cancer
- Liam Coles: completed pre-service course at Georgian College, enrolled at Durham College for fire prevention
What comes next
Coles continues his studies and prepares for testing and recruitment. He knows the path to Toronto Fire Services is uncertain, and he understands the health risks involved, but he keeps his focus on the practical work: training, applying, and showing up for people on their worst days.
For Coles, the choice is personal and practical at the same time. He wants to honour his family by carrying forward a tradition of service, and by stepping into the role his father played in their community.
Coles summed up his motivation simply: he wants to change people’s lives the way his father did, and to continue a line of service that has defined his family for decades.
Toronto Fire Servicesfirefightersfamily legacyoccupational health
