ELMORE, Ohio — In the small town of Elmore, Jim Wilburn leads the volunteer fire department as chief, a legacy not unique to his last name.
"My father (Clarence) was fire chief up here in Elmore," said Jim. "My brother and I had interest our entire lives."
Jim is one of three Wilburns to battle blazes as a career, including his older brother Clarence II, who did it for 40 years.
"He would give you the shirt off his back to help you," Jim said.
A former member of the Toledo Area Disaster Medical Assistance Team, Jim says Clarence II was sent to New York City just a few days after the 9/11 terror attacks.
"He got dispatched to Ground Zero and spent three weeks there," he said.
While there, Jim says Clarence II spent his time doing one of two things: rescuing the trapped and saluting the fallen.
But upon coming home, his health started to turn, eventually being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, which Jim says is a result of breathing in dust, smoke, and pulverized glass.
It was a battle that Clarence II eventually couldn't overcome.
"I got a phone call from my sister-in-law that says we need you to come to Cleveland. Your brother is throwing in the towel," said Jim.
Clarence II died at the age of 58 on July 5, 2017.
He's one of over 37,000 first responders and survivors with World Trade Center-certified cancers, according to the 9/11 Memorial page. The same page also says that since 9/11, over 400,000 people have been exposed to toxic, cancer-causing elements.
"My brother, even in the end, he needed lung transplants, he needed a liver transplant, and unfortunately those things never came for him, but he's not one to complain," said Terry Floro, Clarence II's sister.
Since his death, the Wilburns have continued their brother's legacy, urging for more help for the frontline.
"I feel that as though we can do better, to help our first responders, and to help those in need," Floro said.
Clarence II was a man who offered a hand during tragedy and back home was considered by his family to be a man with admirable traits.
"Leader," Jim said. "He taught me a lot, and he was always my big brother."