Firehouse Year in Review 2020

A once-in-a-century global health crisis that crippled the entire planet socially and economically. Massive protests erupting across the United States after a police killing in a humble Midwestern city. Record-breaking wildfires continuing to devastate large swaths of our country.

It's safe to say that 2020 will be talked about among historians as one of the most troubling and heartbreaking years in modern history, and the heroic men and women of the fire service continued to play a major role as they do every year.

COVID-19

Major life-altering events come along every so often, and much like people of certain ages remember exactly where they were when they learned JFK had been shot or the World Trade Center was attacked, most of us will never hear the year 2020 mentioned without immediately thinking about COVID-19.

The novel coronavirus that sprang up in Wuhan, China, a year ago and has spread out of control across the globe for the past year has claimed the lives of nearly 340,000 Americans and 1.79 million people worldwide. Several vaccines have recently been approved for emergency use, giving many hope for a much better 2021, but the toll the virus has taken on the world is indescribable.

The fire and EMS services along with healthcare workers have shown incredible courage and suffered greatly during this pandemic, both in actual deaths and on an emotional scale due to long hours and the pain of witnessing so much loss up close. The known number of fire and EMS members killed by the virus—whether on duty, off duty or retired at the time of infection—numbers in the hundreds.

You can find Firehouse.com's ongoing coverage of pandemic news here.

Civil unrest

Fire service personnel were also on the ground during the summer months as civil unrest overtook the pandemic as the top news story following the death of George Floyd on May 25 while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers.

Riots, looting and arson happened alongside peaceful protests in many of our major cities, and there were several incidents of firefighters being heckled and even attacked by mobs as they were simply trying to do their jobs.

We had a great opportunity to provide our readers with a first-person perspective on what firefighters on the front lines were going through during the chaos and unrest when Editor-in-Chief Peter Matthews hosted Minneapolis Fire Chief John Fruetel on the Today on Firehouse podcast as events were unfolding.

Fruetel emphasized how members of the fire service never waver in the face of such dangers and frustrations.

Thank you!

So as we bring 2020 to a close, we say thank you to all of you who put your lives on the line every day, and we'd also like to thank all the family members and loved ones who provide the emotional support you need when the shift ends and you head home.

Stay safe out there in 2021 and beyond!

Most-viewed stories & incidents

Throughout the year, we do our best to provide news coverage for major incidents and fire service developments throughout the country, and we greatly appreciate when our readers provide us with tips on various responses and rescues that did not provide coverage of.

Below is a list of some of the most viewed content we provided this past year on Firehouse.com:

This past year also marked many anniversary milestones for major events in the history of the fire service:

Jan. 5 marked 25 years since four Seattle firefighters were killed in a floor collapse at a warehouse fire that eventually led to the conviction of Martin Pang, who set the fire to collect insurance money. Pang had fled to Brazil after the fire and was only extradited back to the US in 1998 when prosecutors agreed to charge him with four counts of manslaughter instead of murder. He was released from prison in September 2018.
Jan. 23 was the 15th anniversary of what has come to be known as Black Sunday in the FDNY. On that day, three firefighters were killed in two fires, two of them at a Bronx tenement when they became trapped and jumped from the fourth floor, and the other in a basement fire in Brooklyn.
Feb. 14 made it 20 years since a fire set during a burglary at a McDonald's restaurant caused the death of two Houston firefighters. Three men received lengthy prison sentences for the incident. On the same exact day in 1995, three Pittsburgh firefighters perished in the Bricelyn Street Fire.
March 25 brought the 30th anniversary of the Happy Land social club fire in the Bronx that killed 87 people.
April 19 marked 25 years since the bombing at the Alfred R. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City that claimed the lives of 165 people, including 19 children in a daycare facility. Perpetrator Timothy McVeigh was put to death for the act of terrorism. The tragedy led to one of the most iconic photos in news history when firefighter Chris Fields was pictured cradling fatally injured 1-year-old Baylee Almon in his arms.
April 23 was the 80th anniversary of the Rhythm Nightclub Fire in Natchez, MS, that killed 209 people.
Nov. 21 brought us to 40 years since the MGM Grand Hotel Fire in Las Vegas that claimed 85 lives and led to the passage of new sprinkler guidelines.
Dec. 21 marked 110 years since 13 firefighters perished in the Philadelphia Leather Factory Fire.
Dec. 22 marked a sad day of anniversaries for the Chicago Fire Department, which lost 21 firefighters in a collapse during the Union Stockyards Fire of 1910 and also lost two members 10 years ago in a wall collapse during a fire.

Hot shots

Click the "View Image Gallery" button at the top of this page to view some of the most striking fireground photos we published this past year.

Line-of-duty deaths

COVID-19 is the leading cause of this year's on-duty fatalities, causing a major uptick in LODDs compared to 2019. After there were 64 duty-related deaths last year, the number has increased in 2020 to 91 as of Dec. 30, according to data from the U.S. Fire Administration.

The USFA is projecting that the number of line-of-duty deaths in the fire service will likely double by the time the pandemic is officially over.

Below we have listed the names of the 87 firefighters who lost their lives in 2020 with links to the news coverage we provided at the time of their passing:

Jan. 5: Charles McCormick (Peculiar, MO); Jan. 10: John Bresnan (Homewood, AL); Jan. 11: David Hill (Lubbock, TX) and Mark Horwich (Spencer, WV); Jan. 13: Daryl Drusch (Howard Lake, MN); Jan. 18: Roger DeLongchamp (Wasilla, AK); Jan. 19: Timothy Smith (Orange, CT); Jan. 21: John Kevin Cash (Alpharetta, GA); Jan. 31: Corbin Rogers (Spring Lake, NC);

Feb. 12: Manuel Galindo, Jr. (Fort Hancock, TX); Feb. 18: Ramon Figueroa and Patrick Jones (Porterville, CA); Feb. 23: Donald Lepper (Indianola, NE);

March 8: Joe Tucker, Jr. (Goldboro, NC); March 9: Jerome Guise (Mount Holly Springs, PA); March 13: Benjamin Lauren (Gwinn, MI); March 15: Zachary Blankenship (Montcalm, WV); March 31: Israel Tolentino, Jr. (Passaic, NJ);

April 7: Mario Araujo (Chicago) and James Waters (Tryon, NC); April 8: Michael Field (Valley Stream, NY) and Franklin Williams (Detroit); April 12: John Schoffstall (Terre Haute, IN); April 14: Edward Singleton (Chicago); April 16: John Kuchar III (Burlington, KY); April 17: David Clark (Bay Head, NJ) and Joshua McDonald (Berthoud, CO); April 21: Eduardo Ramirez (El Paso, TX); April 28: Harold Moore, Jr. (Jackson, ME); April 29: Robert Reisinger (River Grove, IL); April 30: Donald DePetrillo ((Hollywood, FL), and Mike Tipoti and Allen Velega (Pago Pago, Americam Samoa);

May 1: Edward Ciocca (White Plains, NY); May 3: Andrew DiMaggio (New Rochelle, NY); May 7: David Jameson, Jr. (Independence, MO); May 21: Eric Ellis (Salmon, ID); May 30: Joseph Nealon, Jr. (Nanticoke, PA);

June 2: Eric Gore (Philadelphia); June 9: Klayton Manning (Luling, TX); June 21: Russell Roberson (Iaeger, WV); June 30: Ron Wehlage, Jr. (De Soto, MO);

July 20: Jason Cuffee (Charleston, WV) and Leroy Lucio (Houston); July 21: Justin Robinson (Buchanan, GA); July 25: Jose Perez (Los Angeles);

Aug. 2: Steven Splan (Bloomfield Hills, MI); Aug. 3: Gerardo Pacheco (Houston); Aug. 4: Anthony Christensen (Naples, FL) and Alec Tannenbaum (Vails Gate, NY); Aug. 8: Eric Hayashi (Hilo, HI); Aug. 11: Peter Hein (Big Pine, CA); Aug. 18: Bryant Anderson (Converse, TX); Aug. 23: David Closs, Sr. (Avis, PA) and Joseph Liedel (Monroe, MI); Aug. 24: Thomas Duffy (Belgrade, MT); Aug. 25: Brian Smith (St. George Island, FL); Aug. 31: Diane Jones (Summerville, OR) and Steven Tower (Goffstown, NH);

Sept. 2: Donald Trzepacz, Sr. (Elma, NY); Sept. 8: Tommy Searcy (Houston); Sept. 13: Frazier Holbert (Carrollton, TX); Sept. 17: Charles Morton (Fawnskin, CA); Sept. 18: James Brooks, Jr. (Whitehall, NY); Sept. 22: Jason Dean (Clayton, NC) and Ricky Fulton (Sterling, CO); Sept. 23: Richard Todd (Salem, WV) and Charles Woods (Marion, VA); Sept. 30: Dylan Cunningham (South Holland, IL);

Oct. 1: Edward Minnick (Colmar, PA); Oct. 7: Jason Cortez (San Francisco); Oct. 16: Lemuel Bruce (Houston); Oct. 17: Keith Williams (Camilla, GA);

Nov. 2: Harold Boone (Forsyth, GA); Nov. 8: Johnny Ivison, Jr. (Easton, KS); Nov. 14: Matthew Bennett (Indianapolis); Nov. 16: Sean Laffan (Oakland, CA); Nov. 17: Joseph Gallo (Blissfield, MI); Nov. 18: Michael Buitendorp (Rothbury, MI); Nov. 21: Robert Rocha (Kansas City, MO); Nov. 22: Robert Cree (Lucerne, IN); Nov. 27: Alan Basso (Kalama, WA);

Dec. 6: David Tomlinson (Poynette, WI); Dec. 9: Donald Downs (Nauvoo, AL); Dec. 10: Leo Werner (Scales Mound, IL); Dec. 11: Robert Orkies (Shepherdsville, KY) and Lee Witman (Harrisburg, PA); Dec 16: Edward Hine (Harrisburg, PA); Dec. 17: Randy Robinson (Fort Worth, TX); Dec. 24: Andrew Davis (Oklahoma City); Dec. 27: Logan Young (Martinsburg, WV); Dec. 29: Darrell Woodard (Sylva, NC).

Topics & trends

As mentioned above, COVID-19 was the biggest story of the year and affected the fire service in a major way. Listed below are some vital pieces of content we have provided to help your departments cope with any related difficulties, allow you to do your jobs safely, and handle the mental strain:

Beyond COVID-19, there were many other topics of the everyday variety covered by Firehouse this past year that deserve plenty of attention.

Barry Furey shed some light on the worrisome matter of dispatcher stress and physical risk, and Chief Billy Goldfeder reminded us that when the bells go off we should treat the situation as if our own house were involved.

Fire law expert Curt Varone explained why no law affects fire department operations or costs to local government more than the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Billy Wusterhausen tackled a difficult but important subject by reviewing the risk factors and warning signs associated with firefighter suicide.

Chief Jeffrey Pindelski explained 18 points of consideration that fire departments address on their way to developing successful rapid-intervention teams.

Burton Clark, a recent inductee into the NFHC Hall of Legends, shared the touching tale of his struggle with dyslexia and offered thanks for all the people who helped him along the way.

Curt Isakson reminded chief officers of limited-staff first-arriving companies that water of any method on the fire is well worthwhile. And staying on the topic of water supply, John Salka dispelled any delusions that tank water, particularly in small amounts, isn't useful.

Supplemental projects

During the past year, the Firehouse team continued our efforts to provide supplemental and digital content containing the latest information and research on a variety of topics, including cancer prevention, station design and apparatus trends. These materials can help educate you on ways to advance your career and performance as well as protect yourself and remain healthy:

Awards programs

The nomination period for the 2020 Michael O. McNamee Award of Valor, Unit Citation Awards and Thomas Carr Community Service Awards is currently open. Nominations are for events or actions from 2020. Nominate an individual or unit here. The deadline is Feb. 26, 2021.

And take a look at this year's winners in our EVT and Station Design awards programs:

Firehouse Expo 2021

After COVID-19 forced us to move our annual conference into a digital space with Firehouse Expo Direct, we are excited for life to get back to normal next year so we can see you all in person again for our debut in Columbus, OH, at Firehouse Expo 2021.

We are looking forward to working with the men and women of the Columbus Division of Fire to help us continue providing you with the best in training and education. Our lowest rates are currently available, so make sure to register now!