News: LI Firefighter Dies On-Duty
(Long Island, N.Y.) A forty-three-year-old Baldwin firefighter suffered a fatal heart attack this morning after responding to a house fire. The fireman was a former captain and twenty-one year member of the department. The Baldwin Fire Department has been in establishment since 1895.
The fire occurred on the 2800 block of Grand Avenue, and firefighters were alerted by an emergency call around three-thirty this morning. The Baldwin Fire House is also located on Grand Avenue in South Baldwin. A plaque that reads “in memory of departed brother and ex-captain, line of duty” and includes the fireman’s name, now adorns the firehouse as a symbol of honor.
The forty-three-year-old complained of chest pains inside the truck on route to extinguish the fire that broke out north of Atlantic Avenue. After being transported by the fire department’s ambulance, he was pronounced dead at South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside. He is survived by his father and four siblings, one of whom was also a volunteer at the Baldwin Fire Department.
Police Arson Bomb Squad and the Nassau County Fire Marshall are investigating the cause of the fire, and have not announced whether it was suspicious. In the meantime, fellow brothers of the department honored their fallen comrade with a banner, a flag flown at half mast, and black bunting along the building and fire trucks. Reports stated that the fireman “became ill” or “sick” at the scene and later went into cardiac arrest.
Though paramedics rushed him to the hospital after only ten minutes at the place of the fire, doctors were unable to save him. In the meantime, fellow volunteers were able to extinguish the flames and conquer the blaze that had torn through the home. Reports stated that Nassau County Police and Fire Officials declined to comment.
Loved ones of the departed fireman described him as friendly and outgoing, and the Baldwin Fire Department is devastated by their loss. He was considered an active member of the community and department, and is this first fireman to pass on the line of duty from the Baldwin Fire Department since 1975. The firefighter killed over thirty years ago was Stephen Barry.
Reports also stated that the fireman began experiencing chest pains when his truck first pulled from the station, while he was ready to place his life on the line. He had complained of shortness of breath upon arrival, and his condition allegedly worsened during his time on-duty. It’s uncertain whether he had suffered from any prior heart conditions.
The building in flames was a three-story wood-framed apartment house, and the fire lead to the displacement of at least eight people. Reports stated that all twenty residents got out safely, and that one of the eight was a nine-year-old. The Red Cross has provided temporary housing at nearby motels.
Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano arrived at the scene to comfort family members disrupted by the fire. He also praised the fire department and the fallen hero, as did the current chief of the department. The chief had been a friend of the deceased for over seventeen years.
