For the Record 11/14

Three Retired FDNY Firefighters Die Same Day

The New York Post reported that three retired firefighters who helped in the recovery at Ground Zero all died the same day of 9/11-related illnesses. Firefighter Daniel Heg­lund, Lt. Howard Bischoff and firefighter Robert Leaver all died on Monday, September 22. Each worked at the World Trade Center site after the attacks, according to the FDNY.

“When he was diagnosed, Robert said he was not a victim but a first responder,” Leaver’s widow, Rosaria, told The Post. “He said the real victims were the civilians who weren’t first responders. That’s the kind of guy Robert was.”

More than 850 firefighters and ambulance workers are battling WTC-related cancer, according to the firefighters union. FDNY first responders showed health effects soon after the attacks, with 99 percent of exposed firefighters reporting at least one new respiratory symptom, according to NYC Resources 9/11 Health Statistics.

The three deaths come as advocates are pushing for the reauthorization of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. The Zadroga Act, signed into law by President Obama in early 2011, established the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program. It ensures that those affected by 9/11 continue to receive monitoring and treatment services for 9/11-related health problems through at least 2015. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s office told The Post that more than 30,000 people are receiving treatment through the WTC Health Program.

NFFF Receives $1.3 Million Grant to Ensure Everyone Goes Home^®

The ongoing efforts to reduce line-of-duty deaths and improve firefighter safety got a big boost from the federal government. The Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program has awarded $1.3 million to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). This grant will help support Everyone Goes Home^®, the NFFF’s comprehensive health and safety program.

The money will be used to support programs related to the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives. This will include a focus on research related to heart attacks, the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths. Funds will also be directed to conduct a study on suicide in the fire service, an issue that impacts firefighters and families alike. The grant will also focus on firefighter safety training at the company officer level and cancer reduction.

“The Foundation is grateful to receive this grant so that we can continue our mission of honoring our nation’s fallen firefighters and their survivors by helping the fire service prevent line-of-duty deaths and injuries,” said Chief Ronald J. Siarnicki, executive director of the NFFF. “A key component of the grant will increase our ability to share vital information and resources to help firefighters do their jobs safely and effectively.”

Everyone Goes Home^® is a national education and training program to help reduce the number of line-of-duty deaths and injuries that occur each year. The program was created to support the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives (FLSI) that were developed and re-affirmed by fire service and industry leadership during the 2004 and 2014 Firefighter Life Safety Summits in Tampa.

For more information about the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and Everyone Goes Home^® visit www.everyonegoeshome.com.

RIT Safety Solutions Donates Harness to Special Needs Rock Climbers

RIT Safety Solutions of Twinsburg, OH, has joined forces with Courageous Kids Climbing in their effort to provide children with special needs the opportunity to learn how to rock climb.

“It is our distinct honor to support Courageous Kids Climbing by providing them one of our E-Z Don rescue harnesses,” said Omar Jordan, president of RIT Safety Solutions. “It is our hope that the E-Z Don Harness will be put to good use giving physically challenged kids the chance to feel what it is like to climb a rock wall by having climbing coaches hoist them up along the climbing wall.”

RIT Safety Solutions, which manufactures state-of-the-art rescue and escape systems for the fire service and private industry, has also offered to loan any additional E-Z Don harnesses to Courageous Kids Climbing on an as needed basis.

“Giving these courageous climbers the chance to learn how to climb helps them to build self-confidence as well as learn problem solving while under the watchful eye of trained rock climbers,” said Jeff Riechmann, event coordinator for Courageous Kids Climbing. “By having RIT Safety Solutions provide us with this harness, we will be able to expand the climbing opportunities to those children who are physically challenged.”

Courageous Kids Climbing is a posse of individuals based in Valley County, ID, with the goal of providing climbing opportunities to children with special needs. It was organized by retired firefighter Jeff Riechmann in March of 2014. 

Line-of-Duty Deaths

Six U.S. firefighters recently died in the line of duty. One career firefighter and five volunteer firefighters died in six separate incidents. Four deaths were health related and two deaths were the results of accidents.

FIREFIGHTER RICHARD CHOATE, 68, of the Byram Township Fire Department in Andover, NJ, died on Sept. 8. Choate had operated a tanker responding to an activated fire alarm. After returning to the fire station, he fueled the apparatus and left for home. Approximately five hours later, his personal vehicle was found off the road in a wooded area. He was in cardiac arrest and immediate lifesaving measures were initiated, including CPR and the use of an AED. He was transported to a hospital, where he died. Choate was a 23-year veteran of the fire service.

ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF WILLIAM RUSSELL WIITA, 47, of the Coldsprings-Excelsior Fire and Rescue Station 6 in Kalkaska, MI, died on Sept. 8. Approximately three hours after responding to a medical emergency call, Wiita was found deceased at his home from an apparent heart attack. Wiita was a 13-year veteran of the fire service.

FIREFIGHTER JOHN DEREK GUPTON, 24, of the Justice Rural Volunteer Fire Department in Spring Hope, NC, died on Sept. 16. Gupton was operating the department’s 2,500-gallon tanker responding to a fire alarm when he lost control of the vehicle. The tanker left the roadway, struck a ditch culvert and overturned. Another firefighter was treated for injuries and released from a hospital. Gupton was a five-year veteran of the fire service.

CAPTAIN ANTHONY LYNN GRIDER, 41, of the Campbellsville, KY, Fire-Rescue Department died on Sept. 20. On Aug. 21, Grider and three other firefighters were injured while participating in an “ALS Ice Water Challenge” at Campbellsville University. Grider and another firefighter were in the bucket of an aerial ladder truck when energy from a nearby power line arced to the bucket. Both firefighters received a high-voltage electric shock. The second firefighter in the bucket has been released from the hospital. The other two firefighters suffered minor injuries. Grider was a 16-year veteran of the fire service.

FIREFIGHTER ALLEN WESTBY, 67, of the East Islip, NY, Fire Department died on Sept. 23. On the evening of Sept. 22, Westby had responded to a call and was found deceased in his home the next morning. Westby was a 43-year veteran of the fire service.

ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF J.B. HUTTON JR., 73, of the Dermott, AR, Volunteer Fire Department died on Oct. 1. Hutton was operating at the scene of an outdoor fire along Highway 165 South on Lake Wallace when he became ill. Immediate care was given and he was transported to a hospital, where he died. Hutton was a 50-year veteran of the fire service.

—Jay K. Bradish