For the Record 7/23

11th Annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb

Registration is open for the 11th annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI. Co-sponsored by Pierce Manufacturing and the Green Bay Metro Fire Department, this year’s climb will take place on Sept. 9.

Attendance in 2022 exceeded 2,800 members of the fire service, their families and friends, and community members, which helped to raise more than $180,000 for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Event registration is $35 per climber through July 8, $40 per climber July 9–Aug. 12 and $45 per person after that.

Go to piercemfg.com/climb to pre-register.

Hazmat Preparedness and Response Funding

Because many volunteer fire departments can’t afford equipment, resources and training pertinent to hazmat incidents, CHEMTREC and the National Volunteer Fire Council are offering for the fifth year the CHEMTREC HELP (Hazmat Emergencies Local Preparedness) Award. CHEMTREC will grant $10,000 to four volunteer fire departments in 2023 to enhance their hazmat response capabilities and improve responder safety. To date, 12 departments received a total of $115,000 through the award program.

The 2023 application period is open until Sept. 1.

To view criteria, go to chemtrec.com/helpaward.

North Dakota Paramedic Receives EMS Award

Sean Roed received the 2023 Outstanding EMS Professional of the Year award from Columbia Southern University (CSU). Roed is a paramedic and the director of operations for Lake Region Ambulance Service in Devils Lake, ND. Roed is a member of the board of directors of the North Dakota EMS Association, Safe Alternatives of Abused Families and the Lake Region Suicide Prevention Coalition. He also serves on the Homeless Vets Coalition and the Region 3

Homeless Coalition. He is pursuing his bachelor’s degree in EMS administration at CSU.

For more information, go to columbiasouthern.edu.

2024 International Firefighter Cancer Symposium

The sixth annual International Firefighter Cancer Symposium will be hosted in Miami on Feb. 22–24, 2024, by the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Firefighter Cancer Initiative (FCI). One of the primary goals of the FCI is to identify novel, evidence-based methods for reducing firefighters’ risk of cancer.

For information, contact FCI at [email protected].

Line-of-Duty Deaths

4 U.S. firefighters died in the line of duty. One died from a medical emergency after responding to an EMS call the previous day, one died from injuries that were sustained when he was struck by a passing vehicle on scene of a traffic incident, one died in a single-vehicle accident while en route to the scene of a fire and one died from injuries that he sustained from a building collapse at the scene of an apartment building fire. This issue of Firehouse is dedicated to these firefighters.

LT. RICHARD MICHAEL HEMPEL, 53, of Groesbeck, TX, Volunteer Fire-Rescue, died on May 9. On May 8, Hempel responded to an EMS call at a residence. The day after, he began to feel ill and became unresponsive. A 9-1-1 was dispatched immediately, and Hempel was transported to Limestone Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead from an apparent heart attack.

FIREFIGHTER PHILLIP ALLAN, 49, of the Seminary, MS, Volunteer Fire Department, died on May 17. Allan stopped to help at a motor vehicle accident. He was struck by a passing vehicle while he assisted. He was rushed to Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, where he died of his injuries.

ASST. CHIEF KYLE THOMAS OSGOOD, 29, of the Farmland, IN, Volunteer Fire Department, died on May 25. Osgood and Firefighter Zachary Lee responded to a chicken coop fire. When the tanker in which they traveled approached an S-curve, the vehicle went out of control, left the roadway and crashed. Osgood was pronounced dead on scene. Lee was airlifted to the hospital. As of press time, he remained in critical condition.

FIREFIGHTER J. MICHAEL MULLER, 25, of the Irmo Fire District in Columbia, SC, died on May 26. Muller responded to an apartment building fire. A structural collapse occurred. Firefighters called maydays. Muller was rescued, and CPR was administered immediately on scene. Life-saving efforts continued as he was transported to the hospital. Shortly after arrival at the hospital, Muller died from his injuries.