Two Firefighters Left Off New York Memorial

[Monty 35]

Bit reluctant to post this - but this is public information, somewhat on the record .....

Firehouse.com posting of Newsday article

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Two Firefighters Left Off New York Memorial

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BY KEITH HERBERT. keith.herbert@newsday.comNewsday (New York)

Firefighter Wilbur Ritter was committed to public service, serving as a volunteer for nearly six decades.

When he died in August 2006 from a heart attack, he was pursuing his passion - responding to an alarm call with the Sayville Fire Department.

But when the names of firefighters who have died in the line of duty are announced at a memorial ceremony next month in Albany, Ritter's name will be missing.

Paul Brady, a Malverne volunteer firefighter who was crushed to death in a fall from a fire truck the same month Ritter died, won't be on the memorial, either.

Both men were rejected by a committee that decides which deceased firefighters' names are added to the memorial each year. The committee was split between volunteer and paid firefighters when voting on inclusion of the names, said Gunnar Neilson, chairman of the Fallen Firefighters Committee.

Often, paid firefighters feel that unless a firefighter was killed in a building collapse, or had an air supply run out while battling a blaze, their name shouldn't be on the memorial, Neilson said.

The committee requested unspecified additional documentation about the deaths of both men to support their names being engraved on the memorial, and both departments complied, Neilson said. The cases of both men are scheduled to be heard again by the committee on Friday, Neilson said.

"It's too late to do it this year," Neilson said yesterday in a phone interview. "The names have been chiseled on the wall."

Sayville Fire Department Chief Roy Verspoor said he doesn't understand why Ritter's name had to go to a second vote. The New York State Workers' Compensation Board classified Ritter's death as "line of duty" and paid a death benefit to his family, Verspoor said.

"The information they had at the time should have been sufficient to prove it was a line of duty death," said Verspoor, who added that the department initially provided the documentation requested.

The application asks for a death certificate, police or coroner's report, evidence of death benefits, newspaper articles and other documentation.

A message left for a Malverne fire spokesman was not returned last night.

If approved on Friday, both names would appear in the booklet handed out to those who attend the Oct. 9 ceremony, Neilson said. More than 2,000 names of deceased state firefighters appear on themarble and granite memorial.

Ritter, 78, was running across a parking lot when he fell ill. He went into cardiac arrest while en route to the hospital, where he died.

Brady, 42, a volunteer for six years, was performing maintenance atop a fire truck when he was crushed to death after a colleague moved the truck without realizing Brady was on the roof.

[JBE 328]

Let's just hope that the committee comes to its senses later on this week. Paid, Vollie, whatever, these men are LODD and should be treated as such.

[ex-commish 490]

Let's just hope that the committee comes to its senses later on this week. Paid, Vollie, whatever, these men are LODD and should be treated as such.

This should be a no-brainer....a LODD is a LODD. Why must things be so difficult????

[firecapt32 282]

I agree with you guys they were line of duty deaths and should be included. having said that I do have issue with a 78yr old being a active firefighter in the state of New york. I have heard the arguments about someone in better shape then younger guys and all that other stuff still 78 is time for him to tell the tales of the old days to the younger members it is not the time to be riding/driving appatatus or active firefighting.

[RescueKujo 130]

And who says this board is the home to Vollie vs Career battles?? Just plain BS, it doesn't matter whether you're being paid or not when doing the job, if you die it's a LODD. Stupid politicos who make these decisions probably never humped a hose in their life.

[Guest pentax02839]

it should not matter if you are paid or vollie.only that it was lodd.