From the Editor’s Desk
Correcting An Injustice

A serious injustice exists within the New York State fire service.

Recently a number of New York firefighters who died in the line of duty have not had their names inscribed on the New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Albany.

For example, Firefighter Paul R. Brady of the Malverne Volunteer Fire Department on Long Island has been denied four times by an independent committee, most recently in April, 2010. Other names come to mind, such as Walter Hessling of Dix Hills, who had a stroke after reporting a fire, and Richard Holst, beloved Chaplain in Huntington, who died after directing traffic at a fire.

Oddly enough, these and other recent firefighter deaths have been determined to be in the line of duty by the following: the New York State Workers Compensation Board under the Volunteer Fireman's Benefit Law, the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. However, some members of the New York State Fallen Firefighter Memorial Committee have not seen fit to include these names on the State Fallen Firefighter Memorial.

Legislation has been proposed to correct this serious injustice to firefighters who have given their lives in service of their community. We urge our readers to contact their legislative representatives in Albany and ask them to support and vote in favor of Assembly Bill 10836-A and its companion Senate Bill which would provide that firefighters who die in the line of duty, as determined by the Workers Compensation Board, would have their names inscribed on the New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial at the Empire State Plaza.

There should be no opposition to such efforts to memorialize our fallen firefighters who die in the line of duty.