By Paul Stein

I write this month’s article with a heavy heart. I just learned that two Los Angeles County Firefighters died while fighting the Station Fire. The Station Fire is currently the largest of at least eight burning across California after days of triple-digit temperatures and low humidity.

So far the fire has scorched 104,960 acres of brush, destroyed 53 homes and threatened more than 12,000 others.

I can see from my house in Newbury Park, columns of smoke billowing high into the air before dispersing into a gauzy white haze that is burning peoples’ eyes and prompting warnings of unhealthy air throughout the Los Angeles and Ventura basins.

However, the saddest part of this incident is the lost lives of two of our brothers. Fire Captain Tedmund Hall, 47, and Firefighter Arnaldo “Arnie” Quinones, 35, died while fighting the fire.

Captain Hall was a 25 year veteran of the department. He has two sons ages 21 and 20 and was known as a family man who loved riding motorcycles. I had the pleasure of meeting Captain Hall at a couple of classes that I taught. Firefighter Quinones had 8 years experience. He has a wife and they are expecting their first child in a couple of weeks.

Those of us in the fire service can relate to the dangerous and harsh environment that is ever present during a wildland fire. I recall thinking when I was Firefighter, Captain or even a Battalion Chief and involved in a wildland fire or inside a well involved structure fire about my own safety and what would happen if I die at this incident. In my career, I fell through a couple of roofs, have been lost in buildings and remember one time being trapped on the second floor of a building and realized that I’m in trouble. It was so hot that I thought to myself “it is so hot that I am losing the ability to think.”

In the next couple of weeks we will grieve for Ted and Arnie. We know that they are gone but, will never be forgotten. Those who knew them well will keep them in their memories forever.

The question now is what do we do for the families left behind. We don’t often think about this unpleasant topic until we have a firefighter fatality. I’m sure there is a lot more information on this topic that I’m not aware of however, there are several organizations designed to help the families of the fallen firefighter. Here are some of them:

The National Fallen Firefighter Foundation:
The United States Congress created the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to lead a nationwide effort to remember America’s fallen firefighters. Since 1992, the tax-exempt, nonprofit Foundation has developed and expanded programs to honor our fallen fire heroes and assist their families and coworkers.
The Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, located in Emmitsburg, Maryland. It is registered as a corporation in the State of Maryland. The Foundation receives funding through private donations from caring individuals, organizations, corporations, and other foundations.
A grant from the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance supports programs for survivors of fallen firefighters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency partners with the Foundation to sponsor many of the National Memorial Weekend activities. The National Institute of Standards and Technology supports work on a national research agenda to prevent line-of-duty deaths.

The California State Firefighter’s Association (CSFA)
If the fallen firefighter is a member of CSFA (Arnie was) the organization gives $10,000.00 to the family. CSFA also sends its endorsed financial planner to the families with the objective to assist with any financial needs they might have.

The Los Angeles Firemen’s Credit Union has the Fire Family Foundation.
The Fire Family Foundation was formed to assist firefighters and their families within the state of California. The foundation offers a tax deductible method for contributions and donations. Firefighters provide support to our communities; in turn the credit union can provide financial and educational support to fire departments.

OK with that said, I want to share information about a new organization that is designed to help fire and police families in the event of a fatality.

I’m sure you all remember last March when four Oakland Police Officers were killed in the line of duty. Those killings rocked the public safety world. An old friend of mine, Tom Gallinatti, who retired from the Oakland Fire Department was so moved by the incident that he felt the need to do something for the families. With that idea in mind he called me one day and asked if I would be interested in becoming an executive board member of the new “Fallen Heroes group.” If you know Tom, he doesn’t take no for an answer. Last week, my pal Gordon Graham and I met with several people from the public and private sector and discussed the possibility of forming this group to help the families of firefighters and police officers after a fatality. I was really impressed with the dedication and caring attitude of the people in the room. I am really excited about this opportunity. In the coming months you will be hearing from Gordon and me regarding the development and goals of this organization. The soon to be web site is www.thefallenheroes.org.

Here is the vision statement of the fallen heroes organization.

The fallen heroes is a non-profit organization committed to honoring those law enforcement and fire service personnel who, in the performance of their duties, paid the ultimate sacrifice for those they serve, and to serving the families they left behind.

My final thought is this: We should NOT accept ANY firefighter or police officer death. However, we all know that our job is inherently dangerous. Advances have been made in equipment, training, education, and best practices. These advances have reduced the dangers, but have not eliminated them. Until that day comes, we need organizations such as the ones described above and the new “The Fallen Heroes” to help our families.

STAY SAFE OUT THERE
VIVI BENE–LIVE WELL
RIDI SPESSO–LAUGH OFTEN
E AMA MOLTO–LOVE MUCH

This entry was posted on Monday, October 19th, 2009 at 6:50 am and is filed under FD Training, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.