Photos: Hundreds Gather to Remember Fallen Worcester Firefighters on 25th Anniversary
In a somber ceremony outside Worcester’s Franklin Street firehouse, hundreds gathered to remember the sacrifices made by six firefighters 25 years ago on that site on Dec. 3, 1999.
The annual memorial service for the Worcester Cold Storage & Warehouse Fire took place Tuesday night, with messages of hope, encouragement and a renewed commitment to remember the fallen: Lt. Thomas Spencer, Lt. Timothy Jackson, Lt. James Lyons and firefighters Paul Brotherton, Jeremiah Lucey and Joseph McGuirk.
“The lessons of that night, the courage, sacrifice and dedication of those we honor are woven into the fabric of our department,” Worcester Fire Chief Martin Dyer said. “The memory of their bravery rides with each firefighter who serves here, reminding us of the profound responsibility that we carry as time continues to pass.”
Uniformed firefighters from several states gathered behind rows of current and retired Worcester firefighters who walked from Union Station. They lined Franklin Street in front of the firehouse that’s a living memorial to the 1999 tragedy that occurred there. Family, friends and Worcester residents packed the apron in front of the three-bay station for the annual remembrance ceremony.
“We all knew someone, were related to someone, were a friend of a friend who was impacted by the loss of our heroes, it is Worcester after all,” Public Safety Committee Chair Kathleen Toomey said.
At 6:13 p.m., the silence in the cold nighttime air was broken by three loud beeps played over speakers.
“Attention all companies, striking Box 1433, Franklin and Arctic Street for 266 Franklin St. Attention Engine 12, Engine 1, Engine 6, Engine 13, Ladder 5, Ladder 1, the Rescue, Car 3. Time, 18:13.”
That's the time those firefighters were sent to the six-story building that night—a night that changed the tight-knit city and the fire service.
Mayor Joseph Petty reflected on that night and the 25 years since as he addressed the crowd.
“On that night, I remember my wife and children coming home after driving on Franklin Street, by the fire, and the look on their faces. They were scared,” Petty recalled.
He talked about going to Union Station, where families were asked to gather for updates, and the son of a firefighter arrived, followed by family members looking for information on their loved ones.
“I remember the wives of the firefighters coming up to me, asking if their husbands were okay. I remember how this community, the city of Worcester, the state of Massachusetts and the country came together.”
Since then, several sons of the fallen have joined the ranks of the department, following in their father's careers.
“I’ve had the privilege of attending the graduations and promotions ceremonies of the children of the Worcester 6, who have chosen to pursue the calling of being a firefighter," Petty said. "The legacy of the six brave men who gave their life that cold December night to help one another will forever be remembered. The passion of Worcester 6 has left indelible mark on the city’s history.”
He said the city must continue to remember the sacrifices for generations to come, ensuring their legacies do not go away.
Speaking to the hundreds of current Worcester firefighters, Worcester City Councilor-at-Large Kate Toomey offered encouragement, saying “You enable their memory, their purpose and life to shine on. You and your brother and sister firefighters are beacons of hope and pillars of the community who constantly put your valor and honor on display, in and out of uniform.”
Family members laid wreaths in front of the memorial, which includes a statue of a firefighter looking at the memorial including plaques for each of the firefighters.
The tolling of the bells in the Signal 5-5-5-5 was followed by a 21-gun salute. Then a 100-member pipe band played Amazing Grace, which echoed off the other warehouse buildings found in the industrial neighborhood.
Engine 7 returns as memorial piece
In a parking lot at the corner of Franklin and Grafton Streets, a pumper that became a visual memorial to the fire, a four-door 1989 Maxim pumper, was parked and again covered with flowers and T-shirts and signs, reminiscent of the scene in 1999.
In the days and weeks after the fire, mourners and others stopped by the fire truck, parked across from the fire, to pay tribute and leave a message of hope and faith for the firefighters.
“It’s great to see this truck back 25 years later. I’ll always remember the touching photos of the truck almost completely covered in flowers,” Worcester resident Rob Foster said. “I came here daily 25 years ago. I was in shock and grief, and this helped me feel that things were going to be OK.”
The fire became a national tragedy
As the small city with a big heart reeled from their loss, the entire country was glued to the television and computer for updates on the fire, including the nine-day recovery and the memorial service that brought more than 35,000 firefighters to the city six days later.
"This was the beginning of the internet at the time and there were firefighters sitting at the kitchen table waiting to see what happened each day," retired Deputy Chief Andrew White said. "They were a part of it and that really reflected in how everybody showed up. They knew what we were feeling and they came out year after year and supported us."
“The whole fire community pulled up their bootstraps, came out and helped Worcester out. They covered our stations so we could stay and work on the (warehouse) deck to recover our brothers."
A commitment to share the lessons from the fire
Monday night, two dozen veteran firefighters from cities near and far gathered at a restaurant as they do nearly every year to share memories and reflect on the impact of the Worcester Cold Storage fire on the national fire service.
After the fire, White reached out to Mickey Conboy from FDNY and Robert “Butch” Cobb to teach Worcester’s firefighters about rapid intervention and rescue.
That was the start of a six-year Worcester Firefighter Safety & Survival Seminar that took place in the city, with over 1,500 people attending the first one in 2000.
The seminars brought instructors from around the country, including FDNY, Syracuse, NY, Washington, DC, Los Angeles County, CA, and departments around Illinois to teach firefighter rescue skills, rapid intervention, self-survival and other skills that were borne from the fire.
Firehouse’s “The Fire Scene” columnist John J. Salka Jr. is among those instructors who carry the mission forward.
"After the annual seminars ended, the group of instructors, who had in the process become friends, began to get together annually, around the early December date of the fire, to reflect and stay in touch with each other," Salka said. "This year’s 25th anniversary was no different and on the evening before the anniversary ceremony, this group of firefighters from Worcester, Jersey City, FDNY, L.A. County and others gathered at a local restaurant for their annual reunion. Along with the typical firehouse banter each member stood and briefly addressed the group about their feelings concerning the lost brothers and their current situation since their last gathering. This small group of men were thrust together by the tragic events of the 1999 fire and have gotten together annually every year since then. Friendships forged in fire."
Despite the end of the seminars, the cadre continues to teach at conferences all across the country, talking about the Worcester 6, the fire and the techniques that were shared in Worcester and have certainly saved lives since.
“The whole event transformed everybody. And now that a generation is turning over and a lot of the new kids are on, they have embraced the motto of the Worcester Fire Department, what it is to carry that torch forward and be as professional as they can and move forward."
Pop-up Museum
A block away from the memorial, retired firefighters set up a pop-up museum, filled with memorabilia from the 1999 tragedy. People file through the space inside Union Station.
On display were photos, newspaper and magazine clippings, dozens of drawings and handwritten notes by children and adults calling firefighters heroes and offering reassurance that their sacrifices were not forgotten.
One newspaper headline read “Grim search ends,” after the last firefighter's remains were recovered, eight days after the fire.
“They came from far and wide,” read a note on a table full of t-shirts and hats from fire departments from across New England and the world, including Japan, that were sent to Worcester, or left near the site.
Handwritten notes read “Sorry about our fallen heroes," "I honor Worcester's heroes," and "We still pray for you."
“It is our duty as member of this community to ensure the names of those heroes are never forgotten,” Petty said. “The greatest casualty is to be forgotten, and we need to ensure that we continue to pay our respects, so we do.”
Peter Matthews | Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director
Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department.
