Tiger Schmittendorf » Fires http://tigerschmittendorf.com Mutual Aid for Marketing Your Fire Department Fri, 30 Dec 2011 07:28:37 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Mutual Aid for Marketing Your Fire Department Tiger Schmittendorf no Mutual Aid for Marketing Your Fire Department Tiger Schmittendorf » Fires http://tigerschmittendorf.com/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://tigerschmittendorf.com/category/fires/ A December to Forget? http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2010/12/a-december-to-forget/ http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2010/12/a-december-to-forget/#comments Wed, 29 Dec 2010 01:19:04 +0000 tiger http://tigerschmittendorf.com/?p=1955

Box 191 stands as a memorial to the five Buffalo Firefighters who were killed in a propane explosion on December 27, 1983

A year ago I wrote an article titled “A December to Remember” to remind us of our obligation to be better story tellers, for prosperity’s sake — and for safety’s sake. Earlier today, Chicago and the rest of the fire service buried the first of two firefighters killed in the line of duty on the 100th anniversary of the Chicago Stockyard Fire that killed 21 firefighters.

Given recent events and all the heartache they’ve brought, I’m not sure that December is a month to remember but instead, it’s one we’d like to forget.

Last night I had the privilege of joining some 50 firefighters and civilians as they stood in the cold at the corner of Grosvenor and North Division Streets in the City of Buffalo to remember an event that claimed the lives of five of Buffalo’s bravest. Surrounded by those drawn to the small memorial erected at the site, Division Chief Don McFeeley stood in the center of the intersection and retold the story of that fateful night when a propane tank exploded inside a warehouse — shattering windows, throwing debris and burning buildings across twelve city blocks.

Two civilians were also killed in the explosion that tossed and crushed the first responding Engines 1 and 32, and Ladder 5 like they were Tonka toys. He told how fate spared the crew of Ladder 2 responding from downtown as they got hung up on snowbank as they turned a corner a few blocks from the scene. Rescue 1 and Engine 3 inadvertently turned down a wrong street a block away from the blast, saving their crews from almost certain death.

Standing next to Chief McFeeley was Chief (Ret.) Jack Supple, whose brother Harvey was the first chief on location. We were standing in the exact spot in the street where Harvey was standing when he radioed for a second alarm assignment after being impaled by a piece of debris sticking out of his neck, causing a near fatal wound.

The year was 1983 and some of the firefighters present at the brief and informal ceremony last night were not even born, let alone in the fire department when the explosion happened. I was 19 at the time but remember it like it was yesterday.

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to interview one of the firefighters who was there that fateful night. Pat Coghlan was a lieutenant on Engine 33 which responded on the fourth alarm. He recounted that experience and the deep impact it left on him on my Firefighter Storytellers radio show broadcast live from the Buffalo Fire Historical Museum. A young firefighter named Mike Lombardo was on his crew that night. Mike went on to be commissioner of the Buffalo Fire Department and just retired as a battalion chief earlier this month. Mike wrote a firsthand account of the incident titled: The Explosion for Firehouse.com in 2002.

Pat Coghlan was there at the ceremony last night as he has been every year since the explosion, along with his family and widows of the slain firefighters. It was an honor to honor those fallen brothers in front of alarm box 191 — flanked by flowers, flags and a marker reminding us that we have an obligation to remember that Buffalo Firefighters Michael Austin, Michael Catanzaro, Matthew Colpoys, James Lickfield and Anthony Waskielewicz answered their last alarm at that spot.

At exactly 8:23pm last evening, a Buffalo Fire Department dispatcher transmitted Box 191: “Twenty-seven years ago on this date, December 27th 1983, at 20:23 hours, five of our brothers responded to their last alarm. We invite all members of the department and all those monitoring this announcement to observe a moment of silence in their memory, and in the memory of all who have died in the line of duty.”

Despite these darkest days, the brotherhood of the fire service perseveres stronger than ever as we look forward with hope for the brighter days that only a new year can bring.

Links in this post:

]]> http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2010/12/a-december-to-forget/feed/ 1 @RuntotheCurb: I remember my first time… http://runtothecurb.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/i-remember-my-first-time/ http://runtothecurb.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/i-remember-my-first-time/#comments Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:30:32 +0000 tiger http://tigerschmittendorf.com/?p=1630

Pbh2I opened up Internet Explorer where my home page is literally my home page: www.tigerschmittendorf.com and I clicked on the FireEMS Blogs icon in the upper left hand corner to see what my fellow bloggers were up to tonight.

I was drawn to a blog from the “Raising Ladders” site that caught my eye, titled: “Finally, a first due job… and a pretty good one, at that.” I didn’t think much of the title when I first read it until I got into the rest of the story. It was the author’s first real working fire in his career.

His story, along with my story telling experiences earlier in the evening, got me to thinking: “I remember my first time…”

]]> http://runtothecurb.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/i-remember-my-first-time/feed/ 0 Flight 3407 Responders Recognized for Recovery Efforts http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/12/flight-3407-responders-recognized-for-recovery-efforts/ http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/12/flight-3407-responders-recognized-for-recovery-efforts/#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:28:58 +0000 tiger http://tigerschmittendorf.com/?p=1568

3407_smlBuffalo radio station WBEN-930AM listeners have overwhelming chosen the first responders to the crash of Continental Flight 3407 in Clarence Center, NY on February 12, 2009 as their “Persons-of-the-Year.”

READ THE FULL STORY:

http://www.wben.com/The-2009-WBEN-Persons-Of-The-Year—/5984262

Personal Note:

It’s been almost a year since the crash and I haven’t shared this personal story yet, but this is probably a good time to do so:

The night of the crash I was watching a movie with my 16-year old son Alex when my alpha-pager went off, as it does pretty frequently in our business. Thinking it was possibly another administrative message or perhaps a more routine event, I almost couldn’t believe what I was reading when I looked at my pager that told me: “Alert 3: Plane crash into a house.”

My kids will verify that we rarely swear in front of them. Foul language is unacceptable in our house. My involuntary response to the pager message was: “Holy S***!” Alex immediately sensed something and asked me “What’s wrong Dad?”

I said, “I can’t believe I’m saying this but… I’m going to a plane crash.” I grabbed my laptop backpack and my go-bag for extended deployments and headed out the door.

When I arroved on scene I thought from what I saw that the entire neighborhood was burning — but it wasn’t. The fire was contained to just one house, one property.

The plane came down and the fire went straight up. The house “absorbed” the entire plane. That’s the only way I can describe what I saw.

It barely touched the homes on either side. It was truly amazing. I credit that to the leadership and proficiency of the Clarence Center Volunteer Fire Company and their mutual aid partners.

The dedication demonstrated in their search and suppression efforts would be matched over the next week by the commitment of their ladies auxiliary in feeding and caring for more than 500 responders for three meals a day, for eight days straight.

Their sense of purpose permeated to the more than 1,200 first responders and emergency response professionals involved in the recovery effort that brought this small 100-year old community back to some sense of at least physical normalcy, in an astonishing eleven days.

I credit Clarence Center Chief Dave Case with literally saving the lives of his people. As suppression efforts were winding down he made the conscious decision to not involve his firefighters in the recovery process. Not that they weren’t capable of coping with it, but the plane landed just a few doors down from their firehouse, just over 700 ft. away.

Their mission was personal. As I’ve said many times while making presentations about this event, “It’s not like this plane was flying from Newark to Chicago and dropped out of the sky in Clarence Center. It was flying from Newark to Clarence Center.” There were few folks involved in the operation who didn’t have a personal connection to the crash, who weren’t somehow affected.

Thus, the “Three-Cs” of: Coordination, Communication and Cooperation were enhanced and enveloped by what I call the Fourth-C: “Community. ”

The Clarence and Western New York community rallied around those lost in the crash, those who suffered loss and those who cared for everyone affected by this tremendous tragedy. The outpouring was overwhelming but not unpredictable for this close-knit and resilient community.

As one federal official – a former resident of the area – shared with me at the scene, “I told my mother I was going to Buffalo because there’d been a plane crash. She responded by telling me that I would experience two things: ‘You’ll get all the cooperation you need… and you’ll be fed really well.’ She was right on both counts.”

Although there are many aspects of this experience that I cannot share in this forum, I just want to congratulate all those involved in the daunting response and recovery effort.

While still a horrible disaster with reminders that will loom in our community for a very long time, this recognition is a well deserved honor nonetheless. You have much to be proud of and I am proud to serve with you.

Stay safe. Train often.

RELATED:

From TigerSchmittendorf.com –

Memorial Sites:

From FirefighterNation –

]]> http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/12/flight-3407-responders-recognized-for-recovery-efforts/feed/ 0 A December to Remember http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/12/a-december-to-remember/ http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/12/a-december-to-remember/#comments Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:14:25 +0000 tiger http://tigerschmittendorf.com/?p=1481

North Division Explosion Victims RememberedI’m not big on forwarding for the sake of forwarding; or just regurgitating information in an effort to build traffic to a web site.

However, my good friend Billy Goldfeder sent out a broadcast yesterday that deserves sharing. His efforts were followed up by a newsletter distribution from the USFA Coffee Break that highlighted similar events.

These stories and Billy’s comments remind us of our obligation to be better story tellers, for prosperity’s sake — and for safety’s sake. It also reminds us that we have an obligation to those we love, those who are making the real sacrifices every time we leave home to go do what we love. Those we are obligated to do everything in our mind and power to go home to after every call.

May we never forget all those lost in these Decembers to Remember.

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This is from today’s USFA Coffee Break eNewsletter:

  

Tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of the cold storage warehouse fire in Worcester, Massachusetts, where six firefighters died searching for reported victims.

In honor of the Worcester firefighters, and all other men and women who have lost their lives in the line of duty, the National Fire Academy today offers a new Coffee Break Training special feature: Coffee Break Training – Special Blend.  Throughout the year, on the anniversary of multiple firefighter fatality events, we will publish a special Coffee Break Training to recognize their sacrifices and provide tips to prevent a reoccurence of the tragedy.

So tomorrow, to honor those six firefighters, why not take the tips from this Special Blend and make some improvements in your community that will make all first responders safer?  The Special Blend can be found at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/coffee-break/sb_2009_1203.pdf 

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And here’s an excerpt from Billy’s e-mail reminding us to remember all of our brothers lost in Decembers past. Maybe because one of these events happened in my own home town is the reason I feel compelled to share these stories.

Each December, there are some very significant dates for the fire service, worthy of note and well worth discussion with Firefighters-especially your younger ones. For example, every Firefighter should well familiar with the multi LODD loss in Buffalo (NY) when 5 BFD Ladder 5 Firefighters (and 2 civilians) were killed in a propane explosion in December 1983. And that’s just one example.

(TIGER: I can remember that night like it was yesterday. I was in my sister’s apartment in North Buffalo, probably 3 miles or better from the blast site, when it shook the house. I remember making a smart-alec comment about stuff falling off the walls, but it wasn’t for quite a while that we learned what caused that uncommon disruption.)

As we now approach December 2009, we remember that 10 YEARS AGO (December of 1999), there were also 2 very significant multi-LODD fires that we must remember.

 

The first is the Worcester Cold Storage fire that occurred on December 3, 1999. The second, discussed below, is the loss of 3 Firefighters in Keokuk, Iowa.

 

 Read all the info at: http://firefighterclosecalls.com/fullstory.php?97100

 

The above information-and plenty from many other resources and websites as well-provides each of us with an opportunity to share:

-so younger Firefighters understand our history.

-so we all are reminded of the losses.

-so we learn from the lessons learned.

-and so we can honor the WFD and KFD members who gave their lives in the Line of Duty.

 

Take Care-BE CAREFUL.

 

PLEASE READ AND PRINT OFF ALL OF THE ABOVE TO POST IN THE FIREHOUSE & PASS IT ON (Also available on our home page with photos)

 

BillyG

The Secret List 12-1-09 / 0001 Hours

www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com

]]> http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/12/a-december-to-remember/feed/ 5 Cross-Continental Divide or Deja Vu? http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/11/cross-continental-divide-or-deja-vu/ http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/11/cross-continental-divide-or-deja-vu/#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:42:45 +0000 tiger http://tigerschmittendorf.com/?p=1376

Now I’m not the biggest EMS geek but two fellow Fire-EMS Bloggers have embarked on their own home-grown exchange student program that has proven to be pretty darn entertaining so far.

happyicon-50x50Justin “The Happy Medic” Schorr is hosting Mark “Medic 999“ Glencorse for eight days in San Francisco — the San Francisco Fire Department being Justin’s place of employment.

Medic999-50x50Following those eight days, Mark will swim home and  Justin will head to England a couple of days later to have tea and crumpets and a ride along with Mark. The North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust being the place of Mark’s employment.

Their real-time information exchange is being chronicled across a variety of social media platforms so quickly that I think these two “world-apart paramedics” are feeling a little jet-lag.

Follow their adventures as they discover together that the more things are different – the more they are the same – at least when it comes to comparing cross-continental EMS delivery systems. 

Check out the full summary including links at: http://firecritic.com/2009/11/your-unofficial-guide-to-the-project/

And of course, visit the blogs of this “pair-a-medics” at http://www.happymedic.com and http://www.999medic.com for the latest posts, videos, photos and more.

PS – Their work is also being filmed for a pilot episode of a web series called Chronicles of EMS….stay tuned for more on that!

]]> http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/11/cross-continental-divide-or-deja-vu/feed/ 0 Clean the Litterbox http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/06/clean-the-litterbox/ http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/06/clean-the-litterbox/#comments Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:53:15 +0000 tiger http://tigerschmittendorf.com/?p=865

img_5469

My family is motivation for much of what I do in the fire service. Alex, Laurie and Kathleen (l-r)

This blog is a companion piece to my article titled “Make it Personal” featured in the June edition of Fire-Rescue Magazine.

 

I was reading a not so tongue-in-cheek blog on FirefighterNation.com written by my good friend Art Goodrich titled: “Ordering From the Risk Menu” and it reminded me of a Saturday I spent recently, full of fire service activities.

I started the day by attending a heavy dose of an 8-hour seminar focusing on preparation for a Line of Duty Death. If you’ve ever read one of my blogs, you know I’m very passionate about fire service funerals and making sure that they’re planned and executed appropriately, always considering the family’s needs first.

In contrast to Art’s blog, it’s important to plan that stuff too, but if we really think about it, doesn’t the need for proper funeral planning only further acknowledge our acceptance of failure in protecting our own from the risks we face?

Later that day I attended a benefit for four firefighters from Friendship and Cuba, NY who were critically injured in a wall collapse at a commercial structure fire. While at the benefit, three of the four firefighters who could walk without the aid of a walker took me across the street to the scene of the incident. We walked behind the large brick structure connected to businesses on both sides.

The pile of burned bricks still lay there just as they did on December 21, 2008, the day the wall fell on them. They showed me how the chaos played out. The 19-year old on the nozzle related how he looked down when a single brick hit the ground next to him. When he looked up, it was too late.

He had to turn his body in a very deliberate and mechanical fashion in order to demonstrate the self-defense maneuver he made when he saw the wall coming at him. That’s because he is still in a neck brace and has no timeline for full recovery.

They talked about how they were buried briefly and no one knew exactly where they were until they dug down through the rubble. One talked about the burns he suffered through his turnout gear – from the heat of the bricks that fell on him.

Unintentionally, they received a big order off the risk menu that Art spoke about in his blog. Could building construction and situational awareness have played a factor in their injuries? We can only second-guess.

I finished off my day with the honor of being the guest speaker at the Langford-New Oregon Fire Company’s annual dinner where I talked about the business we’re in: the business of taking care of people.

The business of taking care of people starts with taking care of ourselves. Taking care of ourselves starts with identifying, acknowledging and minimizing risk.

I can think back on several instances in my 28 year fire service career when I could have made better choices for personal safety. That’s putting it politely.

It took me a long time and several close calls to realize that everything I do in the fire service is not about me. It’s about the people we serve and the people who allow us to serve: our spouses, our parents, our children and our families.

In his presentation aptly titled: “Firefighters Scared Straight,” my good friend Billy Goldfeder asks the question: “Who is in your wallet?” The phrase plays off the popular credit card commercial that asks “what” is in your wallet.

To remind myself of who is in my wallet, I’ve taken Billy’s concept one step further and hand-written a very simple risk management plan that even I can follow. Under the back lid of my leather fire helmet you will find the names of my wife Laurie; my daughter Kathleen and my son Alex.

The last thing I see before I don my final piece of battle gear is those three reminders that everything I do is not about me – it’s about them. It reminds me not to do stupid stuff that’s going to make me dead.

My family is inspiration and motivation for most of what I do in the fire service. One of my most recent assignments was as part of the unified command team that managed the recovery of Continental Flight 3407 that crashed in Clarence Center, New York. Fifty people were killed on February 12, 2009 and a community was changed forever.

Two days later, Valentine’s Day, my wife reluctantly got on a plane and flew from Buffalo to Wisconsin to visit her older sister for a few days. I was back in the emergency operations center by 5am and missed the opportunity to say goodbye, as she was still sleeping when I left home.

She wasn’t leaving until mid-afternoon so I pulled some strings and made arrangements to meet her at the airport to kiss her goodbye. The plan was working flawlessly until I got to the gate and her plane had boarded 5 minutes early. Imagine my disappointment. Imagine how much trouble I was in! Being the hopeless romantic that I am, I apologized to her via text message.

When I got home late that evening, I found a note that she had left for Alex and I on the kitchen table. It now hangs in my office as it reads:

“Please remember to feed the cats, give them water, and clean the litter box.”

But the best part was written in parentheses below:

“(and do the same for yourselves)”

I smiled out loud. Needless to say, it provided some much needed stress relief. She’s always had a unique way of keeping me grounded and focused on what matters.

That note inspired me to lead my first command meeting the following morning. I shared the note as a reminder for all of us to do a status check of our mental, physical and emotional health after what we had endured in the last 55 hours. Furthermore, were we prepared for what we would deal with in the coming days?

And, as it was 6am on a Sunday morning, I thought it appropriate to end the meeting with a silent prayer for all those lost – and all those who had suffered loss.

This leads me to the theme for the 2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week (June 14-20, 2009): “Protect Yourself: Your Safety, Health and Survival Are Your Responsibility.”

 

This program encourages responders of every rank to focus on what they personally can do to manage risk and enhance their health and safety. Like the 16 Life Safety Initiatives available at www.everyonegoeshome.com, this year’s theme reflects the need for personal accountability within a strong safety culture.

I often joke that I’m just a dumb fireman, but even I can figure out that while the 16 Life Safety Initiatives hold us personally accountable for our actions, they too are not about us.

“Everyone Goes Home” is not about us. “Courage to be Safe” is not about us. It’s about those who care about us.

These programs are about the people making the real sacrifices when we miss a meal or a family event, or just quiet time with those we love – to go do what we love.

We owe it to them to make effective incident decisions. We owe it to them to embrace a culture of safety through leadership. We owe it to them to train to be the best we can possibly be. We owe it to them to ensure that everyone does go home at the end of every call.

The reality is: When a death occurs in the line of duty, everyone sees the long parade of apparatus, uniforms and important traditions; but no one sees the slow death march up the sidewalk that the chief and the chaplain make – right before they strike that fateful knock on the door that will change lives forever.

The 2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week and the 16 Life Safety Initiatives are about those who must endure in our absence if we don’t follow these simple guidelines.

The next time and every time the tones drop, remind yourself that it’s not about us.

It’s always about: “Who is in your helmet?”

Stay safe. Train often.

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Click here to return to FirefighterNation.com

Tiger Schmittendorf is chairman of FASNY’s Recruitment and Retention Committee and serves the County of Erie Department of Emergency Services (Buffalo NY) as Deputy Fire Coordinator. He created a recruitment effort that doubled his own fire department’s membership and helped net 525+ new volunteers countywide. He is a Nationally Certified Fire Instructor and has been a firefighter since 1980. Visit his blog at www.tigerschmittendorf.com.

 

Tiger Schmittendorf will join Ret. Phoenix Chief Alan Brunacini and J. Gordon Routely in a fire service roundtable discussion at the FASNY Convention in Niagara Falls, NY on Thursday-August 20, 2009.

 

Click here to download a reprint of the companion article printed in the June-2009 edition of Fire-Rescue Magazine: Make It Personal

 

 

Click here to download a reprint of “Clean the Litterbox” printed in the June-2009 edition of FASNY’s The Volunteer Firefigher Magazine.

]]> http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/06/clean-the-litterbox/feed/ 13 3407 http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/02/3407/ http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/02/3407/#comments Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:30:18 +0000 tiger http://tigerschmittendorf.com/?p=760

Continental Flight 3407 crashed into a home in Clarence Center around 10:20pm on Thursday-February 12, 2009 - killing 50 people and changing the lives of thousands more, including mine.

I responded in the first wave of emergency services personnel sent to help restore order to the chaos that the crash created.

Frankly, I’m not ready to write about this experience at length. Not because I’m deeply disturbed by what I saw (how can you not be?), but because I don’t want what I write to be about me, despite my being intimately involved.

I just didn’t want to go any longer without conveying my deep sense of pride, admiration and gratitude to the men and women and the families of the Clarence Center Volunteer Fire Company.

I’m not sure I’ve ever been prouder of a group of people than I am of Clarence Center and all their mutual aid partners right now.

As Deputy Fire Coordinator for Erie County and as part of the Unified Command team in the EOC, I am not in the least surprised by their actions, their professionalism, their respect and their caring for all those affected. I would expect nothing else.

I am simply in awe.

I’ve known all along that we have some of the greatest firefighters right here in Erie County. Chief Dave Case and his entire team have just proven it to the rest of the world.

I was there with them from the onset and we will be together until the end of this operation and beyond. I am proud and honored to stand amongst them and to call them my friends.

I thank them for their service.

Stay tuned here for more insights into the heroic efforts of these firefighters and first responders.

2/24/09 – Chief Case Goes to Washington.

]]> http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/02/3407/feed/ 7 That’s Why. http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/01/thats-why/ http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/01/thats-why/#comments Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:42:44 +0000 tiger http://tigerschmittendorf.com/?p=640

Friendship NY Firefighter Tom Torpey is flanked by his mom Sissy and wife Jessica at the Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo NY

Friendship NY Firefighter Tom Torpey is flanked by his mom Sissy and wife Jessica at the Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo NY

I recently responded to a post on FirefighterNation.com from my friend Adam Box, who shared the dilemma he was experiencing with his significant other:

Tomorrow, I will be attending the funeral of Elizabeth Fire Department Acting Captain Gary Stephens. This will be my second (unfortunately I doubt it will be my last) time attending a LODD funeral.

I was in a bit of a bad mood (about something unrelated) and was talking to my girlfriend and mentioned I would be attending the funeral. She asked me why, since funerals put me in a bad mood, I would go to another funeral that I didn’t have to go. I know I need to go.

My question, I suppose, is how do I explain to someone outside of the fire service the brotherhood that we all share and why I would feel compelled to go to a funeral of a man I’ve never met?

I read his question with great interest because I’ve been in his shoes before. I’ve tried to explain this “thing” that we share. I’m not sure I’m very good at it. Here was my response:

Adam -

You’ve answered your own question. The fact that you feel compelled to go to a funeral of a man you’ve never met – is the definition of brotherhood.

The answer to why you feel compelled to go – is because he would do the same for you.

That’s the real brotherhood of the fire service in its rawest and most public form.

I readily admit that it’s difficult to explain and can even be quite intimidating to those who “don’t drink from the same cup,” but as my good friend Art Goodrich said: If she doesn’t get it, she probably doesn’t get you.

Two words: Good Luck.

That very same day, I too attended the funeral of a firefighter from a neighboring county who died in the line of duty.  I never met the man, but you see, I didn’t need to. I know plenty just like him.

His brother firefighters did a great job in giving due honors to Corfu/East Pembroke Captain Norm Koch. I was proud to stand amongst my brothers in Genesee County. Here’s the link to the newspaper article detailing their efforts: http://thedailynewsonline.com/articles/2009/01/05/news/5025653.txt

Still in my Class-A uniform, I decided to go to the Erie County Medical Center to visit Friendship NY Firefighter Tom Torpey. ECMC is the trauma center where Tom had been since a brick wall collapsed unexpectedly on him and three of his brother firefighters from Friendship and Cuba at a commercial structure fire on December 22, 2008.

Tom’s a hard-working young man, a dedicated volunter, all of 29 years of age; and a father figure to five children with his wife Jessica. In what should be the prime of his life, those bricks crushed his body, but certainly not his spirit. He’s a fighter.

I went to his room, but he wasn’t there. Just a few days out of the ICU, and with the help of his wife and a fellow Friendship Firefighter, Tom was roaming the halls in a wheelchair, making friends and influencing people.

He’s completely aware of what happened that fateful Sunday morning. Feeling blessed that the outcome wasn’t worse, Tom keeps himself busy sharing his positive attitude with anyone who passes him in the hall. Not letting it keep him down, he’s already taking baby steps with the aid of a walker. But he’s far from out of the woods.

It’s expected that he’ll need close medical attention for at least another month or more, whether in the trauma center or after being moved to a rehab center closer to home, which is more than 80 miles away from the hospital in Buffalo.

For now, their lodging and transportation needs are being met through the graciousness of our local Ronald McDonald House in Buffalo, but there may be gaps where they need our help. Jessica is starting to go home on the weekends to take care of the kids and because of the distance, Tom will be left alone at times.

In just our brief encounter, I can tell that Tom Torpey is a self-motivated person. And to keep him motivated and in good spirits, everyone’s suggesting that he gets lots of cards, patches and visits from his brother and sister firefighters. See what you can do about that.

Send cards and well wishes to:

Friendship Fire Department
P.O. Box 503 – Friendship NY 14739

A benefit is planned for the four firefighters on Saturday-February 28, 2009 from 1-6pm at the Friendship Fire Department. A fund has been established by the Cuba and Friendship Fire Departments to assist the firefighters and their families with expenses.

You can visit the Cuba Fire Department’s web site: www.cfdsmokeeaters.com for frequent updates on the injured firefighters and fundraising efforts. Please send checks or money orders to:

Collapsed FireFighter Fund
c/o FASNY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
107 WASHINGTON AVE.
ALBANY NEW YORK 12210

Before I left the hospital, Tom’s fellow firefighter thanked me for stopping by. As I shook his hand, I sensed that he was a little taken back by my visit, maybe wondering why I just appeared at the hospital, unannounced.

You see, I had never met Tom Torpey, but I didn’t need to. I know plenty just like him.

I thought to myself, “Because he would do the same for me.”

That’s why.

This blog is also published at YourHub.

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URLs in this post:
[1] Image: http://tigerschmittendorf.com/files/2009/01/dscf4362.jpg
[2] FirefighterNation.com: http://www.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/ff-funerals
[3] Adam Box: http://www.firefighternation.com/profile/Pokey559
[4] Gary Stephens: http://firefighterclosecalls.com/fullstory.php?77841
[5] Art Goodrich: http://www.chiefreasonart.com
[6] Genesee County: http://www.genfirewire.com
[7] http://thedailynewsonline.com/articles/2009/01/05/news/5025653.txt: http://thedailynewsonline.com/articles/2009/01/05/news/5025653.txt
[8] collapsed : http://www.buffalonews.com/437/story/530171.html
[9] Ronald McDonald House: http://www.rmhbuffalo.org/
[10] www.cfdsmokeeaters.com: http://www.cfdsmokeeaters.com

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