Our condolences to the O'Shea family and the Fire Department of
New York City. FireFighter James O'Shea, 41, a 17 year veteran of
the FDNY assigned to Ladder 127 in Queens died Saturday September
27, 2003. James had worked a structure fire at Kew Gardens in Forest
Hills Queens Saturday evening. He mentioned not feeling well after
overhauling the fire but refused medical treatment at the scene close
to the end of his shift. He returned to his home in Holbrook, Long Island
where he began having chest pains and was rushed to Brookhaven
Memorial Hospital where he later died. James was the first FDNY
firefighter to die in the line of duty since September 11, 2001.
For more news, information, and photos, please visit the
James O'Shea Memorial in the
Fallen Brothers Section.
9/25/03 Line of Duty Death - Saxton, PA
Our condolences to the Wheeler family and the Saxton Volunteer
Fire Department of Pennsylvania. Fire Police Officer William Wheeler,
66, who had just joined the department 6 months ago, died Saturday
September 20, 2003. William was responding to an early morning motor
vehicle accident in his personal vehicle when he veered off the roadway
and struck a utility pole. He was extricated by his brother firefighters
and rushed to Nason Hospital in Roaring Springs where he was
pronounced dead.
For more news, information, and photos, please visit the
William Wheeler Memorial in the
Fallen Brothers Section.
9/24/03 Photo Gallery Update
Shane Shifflett of the White Sands Missle Range Fire
Department of New Mexico has a folder on my desktop with
over 300 photos in it. I have selected 10 and added them to
his second photo gallery. There are 52 photos in the
Shane Shifflett 2
photo gallery.
Jon Hanks has sent me 5 more photos to add to his Orange
County Fire Department 1st Battalion of New York. These
include apparatus and stations from Middletown, Sliverlake
and Mechanicstown. There are 13 photos in the
Jon Hanks
photo gallery.
9/22/03 Line of Duty Death - Bryant, IN
Our condolences to the Armstrong family and the Bryant Volunteer
Fire Department of Indiana. Captain Jerry Armstrong, a 6 year
veteran of the Bryant Volunteer Fire Department died Saturday
September 6, 2003. Jerry suffered a heart attack and died while
working at a community festival fundraising event.
For more news, information, and photos, please visit the
Jerry Armstrong Memorial in the
Fallen Brothers Section.
9/18/03 Line of Duty Death - Newberry Springs, CA
Our condolences to the Zilkan family and the Newberry Springs Fire
Department of California. Assistant Chief Harry Zilkan, 56, an 8 year
veteran of the Newberry Springs Fire Department died Wednesday
September 10, 2003. Harry suffered a heart attack while performing
command duties at a residential structure fire in 1996. He was
revived while being transported to the hospital but his heart suffered
severe damage. One year later Harry received a heart transplant and
was able to return to limited duties. Recently the transplanted organ
began to fail which led to his death.
For more news, information, and photos, please visit the
Harry Zilkan Memorial in the
Fallen Brothers Section.
9/13/03 Benefit Fundraiser
There will be a benefit for Sarah and Rachael Wills-Markiewicz on
Thursday October 9, 2003. Festivities will include a raffle, live
entertainment, and a buffet, all to start at 6PM at Landsdowne Irish
Pub in Oakville, Conn. (860) 274-7526. The girls suffer from a very
rare disease called Vesico-Ureteral Reflux which causes urine to
reflux from the bladder back into the kidneys. Any donations are
appreciated and all proceeds will go to Sarah and Rachael
Wills-Markiewicz.
9/11/03 Line of Duty Death - Connellsville, PA
Our condolences to the Ramsey family and the Connellsville Township
Volunteer Fire Department of Pennsylvania. FireFighter William Ramsey, 42,
a volunteer firefighter with the Connellsville Township Volunteer Fire
Department died Tuesday September 9, 2003. William suffered a heart
attack after returning from a call. He was rushed to Mercy Hospital where
he later died.
For more news, information, and photos, please visit the
William Ramsey Memorial in the
Fallen Brothers Section.
9/9/03 New FireFighter Profile
FireFighter/EMT/Hazardous-Materials Specialist Rob Smith,
a 7 year veteran of the Governor's Island, New York Fire
Department Local F-87 responded quickly to the new
FireFighter Profile
feature. He quickly sent me 3 armpatch photos and an
apparatus photo along with a photo of himself to complete
the
Rob Smith Profile.
9/8/03 New Website Feature
FireFighter/EMT Richard Smith, a 17 year veteran of the Fort
Lewis Fire & Emergency Services of Local 283, inspired me
when he submitted his website URL and photographs of his
department armpatch, his helmet, and his shield for my
corresponding
Photo Galleries
here on the website. So I asked him
to send me some more photos for an idea I had. Last night
I created a new feature for the website. Please visit the
Richard Smith Profile
in the NEW
FireFighter Profiles
section of the website.
9/7/03 Attention WFD Members
The September meeting of the Waterbury FireFighters Local 1339
is scheduled for Thursday September 11, 2003 1900 hours at
Headquarters. All members are encouraged to make every
effort to attend.
There will be a 'work party' at the Waterville Fire Station (soon
to be Union Hall) on Tuesday September 9, 2003.
9/4/03 Line of Duty Death - Owego, NY
Our condolences to the Gavin family and the Owego Fire Department
of New York. Lieutenant Stephen Gavin, 52, a 34 year volunteer of
the Owego Fire Department collapsed after he suffered a heart
attack Wedneday August 27, 2003 at an Owego lumberyard fire
under sweltering conditions. He was rushed to Wilson Hospital where
his condition worsened. Monday afternoon he was transported to
Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania where he died early the
next morning.
For more news, information, and photos, please visit the
Stephen Gavin Memorial in the
Fallen Brothers Section.
9/1/03 Armpatch Gallery Update
If you have submitted your armpatch and haven't seen it posted,
it's because I have been so busy. I finally edited and added 50 new
patches to the Armpatch Gallery including these two, Copper Mountain
Fire Rescue and Mechanicsville Truck 21. There are now
1,683 armpatches in the
Armpatch Gallery.
