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Amputee Firefighter and Stuntman Goes Full Speed Ahead Firefighter, movie stuntman, emergency medical
technician, and powerlifterWilliam Malmskog hasn't let being a
transtibial amputee slow him down.
Besides these activities, Malmskog, 41, has a black belt in
karate and is a nationally certified personal trainer. He taught
karate classes at the 2002 Amputee Coalition of America (ACA)
national meeting in Long Beach, CA. He is an avid hiker,
backpacker, and kayaker. "I'm not a superman, but there are things
I want to do," says Malmskog. "I'm not willing to give up on life
because I lost a leg."
Malmskog's right leg was amputated below the knee in March 2000.
In 1996 he suffered a severe knee injury while working as a
professional stuntman. He underwent a seven-and-a-half hour knee
reconstruction surgery and almost two years of rehabilitation;
however, his ankle was deteriorating due to bone spurs. The pain
was tremendous, causing Malmskog to make the decision to have the
leg amputated. The surgery was performed in March 2002.
Malmskog got involved in firefighting as a teenager when his
father became a volunteer firefighter after retiring from military
service. "I found out it was a good way to get out of school," he
laughs, "but I also found out that I really enjoyed it." The fire
department needed some emergency medical technicians (EMTs), so
Malmskog became qualified after turning 18, going on to become a
paramedic and EMS instructor as well.
As to how he became a stuntman, he says, "My grandparents worked
for MGM back in the 1920s and 30sI guess it's in the blood."
Malmskog got his first taste of the movies in the early 1970s when
a friend in Fort Worth, Texas, who was working on a movie, invited
him to come and work as an extra. "They paid about $20 a day," he
chuckles. "I did a couple of other films." Then in the 1980s and
90s, he went into law enforcement. Another friend called and said
that people who knew how to handle automatic weapons were needed
for movie work. This time, the pay was $500 a day, and he was
offered his first stunt job in the film Space Marine.
Malmskog received his first two prosthetic legs through the
Texas Rehabilitation Commission. He was using Ossur's Iceflex
sleeves and "chewing them up about every four months" due to his
extremely active life, and he had no insurance. A second-generation
Swedish-American, he wrote a letter to Ossur in Swedish, describing
his activities as a firefighter and stuntman and looking for
possible sponsorship. The company asked him to become a member of
Team Ossur, where he is now a powerlifter and company spokesman.
When he competes in AAU events, he wears a lift suit with the Ossur
logo. "It allows me to talk with others about my story and what
Ossur has done for me," he says. He also continues his work as a
firefighter and an EMT.
Ossur recommended that he go to the Loma Linda University
Medical Center O&P Lab, which provides prosthetic care for Rudy
Garcia-Tolson and other noted amputee athletes. And there he met a
creative young prosthetist, Mike Davidson, CPO. Davidson fit him
with an Ossur Flex-Foot Re-Flex VSP and Sports Liner with a pin
lock. "It was an amazing difference!" Malmskog exclaims. "Compared
with what I had before, it was so responsive that it was like
having a jet pack strapped to my leg."
Malmskog uses the Re-Flex VSP for his daily leg. However, when
he needs a reactive ankle for over-the-side rescues, standing on
steep pitched roofs, and fighting structure fires, he uses an Ossur
Talux prosthesis.
Malmskog appreciates Davidson's willingness to try different
designs and ideas and listen to Malmskog's input. "He tried seven
or eight sockets on me. When we got the one that worked the best, I
came back from fighting wildfires and said we need to make some
adjustments.
"Mike came up with a totally different casting procedure,
because in powerlifting my knee has to break a 90-degree plane to
deadlift and squat. At first, I couldn't get the knee back far
enough. Now when we do a check socket, he heats the back of the
knee, then I grab it and pull it back as far as I need it. It's
custom-molded to the flexion I need." Malmskog can now squat,
deadlift, and do full leg presses much better than before.
He has just started training again in powerlifting this past
year. He is in the 82.5 kg class with a competition body weight of
170-175 lbs. He bench-presses 315 lbs., deadlifts 530 lbs., and
leg-presses 1,500-2,000 lbs. in his training phase. Last year he
took first place at the AAU Powerlifting Nationals and second in
IPC Powerlifting at the National Sports Festival for the
Disabled.
Malmskog is proud to be qualified as the first amputee
firefighter/EMT in California history. He has helped a couple of
other amputee firefighters get their jobs back by being an advocate
and spokesperson, and is currently helping another one to regain
his job. He is a motivational speaker and active on an amputee
Internet listserver when time allows, providing fitness advice and
encouraging other amputees. "Being an amputee is no reason to
de-condition," he stresses.
"If I can take something negative, like losing my leg, and turn
it into a positive by helping someone, then it's not such a
tragedy." 
Table Of Contents - January 2003
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