2002, Another Year Of Tragic Losses

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has announced that it will honor 98 fallen firefighters at its Annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in October 2003. Last year's total is slightly less than the yearly average of approximately 100 losses nationwide, and significantly lower than 2001 when 446 firefighters were killed-347 of whom died on September 11 at the World Trade Center.

California suffered the most fallen firefighters with nine, followed by Oregon with seven, New York with six and Texas, New Jersey and Tennessee each with five. Five of the total firefighters who died last year were women.

"The brave men and women of the fire service who made the ultimate sacrifice last year will be forever remembered as heroes," said Hal Bruno, Chairman of the Foundation. "We honor the fallen firefighter's heroism by providing support and services to the family, friends, and coworkers left behind.

Below is the list of the 2002 Fatalities, those Firefighters Being Honored at the 2003 Memorial Weekend.

2003 Roll of Honor DOD First Name Middle Initial Last Name Employment Status Cause Of Death Home State Department 4/7/2002 Edna F. Bishop Volunteer Trauma Alabama Bon Secour Volunteer Fire Department 12/4/2002 Kerry G. Neis Career Trauma Alabama Fort Rucker Directorate of Public Safety Fire and Emergency Services Division 2/13/2002 Robert S. Nichols Jr. Volunteer Cardiovascular Alabama Loretto Volunteer Fire Department 5/31/2002 Robert Broussard Career Cardiovascular California Sycuan Fire Department 6/11/2002 Garet J. Caulfield Career Cardiovascular California San Francisco Fire Department 6/17/2002 Michael H. Davis Contract Trauma California Hawkins & Powers Aviation, Inc. 7/28/2002 Heather J. DePaolo-Johnny Career Trauma California United States Forest Service - Lassen National Forest 6/17/2002 Craig LaBare Contract Trauma California Hawkins & Powers Aviation, Inc. 7/28/2002 Steven K. Oustad Career Trauma California United States Forest Service - Lassen National Forest 7/28/2002 John Self Career Trauma California United States Forest Service - Lassen National Forest 7/18/2002 Milt Stollak Contract Trauma California California Hawkins & Powers Aviation, Inc. 5/22/2002 Sekou I. Turner Career Cardiovascular California Alameda County Fire Department 5/22/2002 Gordon Knight Contract Trauma Colorado Rocky Mountain Interagency Helitack 6/30/2002 Richard A. Cusson Volunteer Trauma Connecticut South Killingly Fire Department 11/18/2002 Bruce S. Fletcher Volunteer Cardiovascular Connecticut Ashford Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. 2/3/2002 Louis A. Rickards Volunteer Trauma Delaware Lewes Fire Department 9/26/2001 Wayne A. Steen Sr. Volunteer Cardiovascular Delaware Mill Creek Fire Company 1/21/2001 Jack K. Barker Career Unknown/Other Florida City of Tampa Fire and Rescue 7/30/2002 Dallas B. Begg Career Burns Florida Osceola County Fire Rescue 10/24/2002 Rupert A. Fuller Volunteer Cardiovascular Florida Darlington - Gaskin Fire Department 6/8/2002 Shane M. Kelly Career Trauma Florida Oviedo Fire Rescue 7/30/2002 John K. Mickel Career Burns Florida Osceola County Fire Rescue 5/14/2002 Jeremy Brown Volunteer Cardiovascular Georgia Screven County Fire Department 6/21/2002 Jacob B. Martindale Contract Trauma Idaho Grayback Forestry, Inc. 6/21/2002 Zachary M. Zigich Contract Trauma Idaho Grayback Forestry, Inc. 6/14/2002 Paul K. Jolliff Career Drowning Indiana Indianapolis Fire Department 6/7/2002 Terry W. Stinson Career Cardiovascular Indiana Brown Township Fire Department 9/30/2002 Ralph Stott Jr. Career Trauma Indiana Terre Haute Fire Department 9/14/2002 Mike Kruse Career Trauma Iowa Muscatine Fire Department 4/11/2002 Earl M. Hemphill Career Trauma Kansas Russell City Fire Department 4/6/2002 Mark D. Mansfield Career Cardiovascular Kansas Overland Park Fire Department 3/4/2002 Richard J. Dake Volunteer Trauma Kentucky LaGrange Fire & Rescue Department 10/11/2002 Kenneth W. Taylor Career Cardiovascular Kentucky Madisonville Fire Department 5/6/2002 David M. Turney Volunteer Cardiovascular Maryland Oakland Volunteer Fire Department 7/3/2002 Andrew Waybright Career Heat Stroke Maryland Frederick County Department of Fire/Rescue Services 10/24/2002 Gerald W. Nadeau Career Smoke Inhalation Massachusetts Fall River Fire Department 5/8/2002 Joseph M. Tynan Jr. Career Trauma Massachusetts Brookline Fire Department 2/18/2002 Raymond A. Ebel Volunteer Cardiovascular Michigan Newaygo Fire Department 10/24/2001 Michael G. Elliott Volunteer Trauma Michigan Maple Rapids Fire Department 2/7/2002 Steven M. Olander Career Trauma Michigan Detroit Fire Department 10/11/2002 Robert E. Peterson Volunteer Cardiovascular Michigan Bad Axe Area Fire Department 7/1/2002 Kim A. Granholm Volunteer Trauma Minnesota Thomson Township - Esko Volunteer Fire Department 12/12/2002 Jonathan M. Lanphear Volunteer Trauma Minnesota Boyd Fire Department 5/29/2002 Gerald W. Allbritton Career Cardiovascular Mississippi Columbus Fire Department 1/17/2002 Elmer Bell Career Cardiovascular Mississippi Choctaw Fire Department 5/27/2002 Rodney L. Chambers Volunteer Cardiovascular Mississippi Verona Fire Department 3/20/2002 Adam L. Weisenberger Volunteer Trauma Mississippi Gluckstadt Volunteer Fire Department 5/3/2002 Derek D. Martin Career Smoke Inhalation/Burns Missouri St. Louis Fire Department 5/4/2002 Robert B. Morrison Career Smoke Inhalation/Burns Missouri St. Louis Fire Department 7/18/2002 Rick Schwartz Contract Trauma Montana Hawkins & Powers Aviation, Inc. 3/18/2002 Joan Spear Seasonal Cardiovascular Montana Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation 3/20/2002 Bernes J. Schutte Volunteer Cardiovascular Nebraska Palisade Volunteer Fire Department 6/17/2002 Steven R. Wass Contract Trauma Nevada Hawkins & Powers Aviation, Inc. 10/1/2002 George F. Batelli Sr. Volunteer Cardiovascular New Jersey Garfield Fire Company #1 1/16/2002 Robert W. Feeney Volunteer Cardiovascular New Jersey Long Branch Fire Department 7/4/2002 Thomas G. Stewart III Career Asphyxiation New Jersey Gloucester City Fire Department 7/4/2002 James E. Sylvester Volunteer Asphyxiation New Jersey Mount Ephraim Fire Department 7/4/2002 John D. West Career Asphyxiation New Jersey Camden County Fire Marshals Office 3/26/2002 Steven L. Jones Career Trauma New Mexico City of Roswell Fire Department 8/30/2002 Harold Coons Volunteer Cardiovascular New York South Schodack Fire Department 3/25/2002 Allen R. Frye Volunteer Trauma New York Roslyn Rescue Hook & Ladder Company Co., No. 1 3/7/2002 John E. Ginocchetti Career Smoke Inhalation New York Manlius Fire Department 3/7/2002 Timothy J. Lynch Volunteer Smoke Inhalation New York Manlius Fire Department 1/7/2000 Ralph Oralls Jr. Volunteer Trauma New York Village of Oxford Fire Department 4/13/2002 William J. Tripp Jr. Volunteer Cardiovascular New York Richford Fire Department 2/10/2002 Rex Walter Volunteer Cardiovascular New York Napanoch Fire Company 6/13/2002 Bridgett N. Autry Volunteer Trauma North Carolina Herring Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. 4/10/2002 William J. Beard Jr. Career Cardiovascular North Carolina City of Greensboro Fire Department 1/31/2002 Thomas E. Brooks Career Cardiovascular North Carolina Lumberton Fire Department 3/6/2002 Joshua B. Earley Career Burns North Carolina Harrisburg Fire & Rescue 9/23/2002 Sandy Powell Career Trauma North Carolina McLeansville Fire Department, Inc. 7/5/2002 Barry L. Dockter Volunteer Trauma North Dakota Anamoose Fire Department 11/10/2001 James H. Hanson Volunteer Cardiovascular Ohio Chauncey-Dover Volunteer Fire Department 1/22/2002 Dustin M. Schwendeman Volunteer Trauma Ohio Dunham Township Volunteer Fire Department 3/16/2002 Leo L. Swank Volunteer Cardiovascular Ohio Bellville - Jefferson Township Fire Department 4/1/2002 Jackie E. Ellington Jr. Volunteer Trauma Oklahoma Newcastle Fire Department 6/24/2002 Bartholomew B. Bailey Contract Trauma Oregon Grayback Forestry, Inc. 11/25/2002 Randall E. Carpenter Career Asphyxiation Oregon Coos Bay Fire and Rescue 11/25/2002 Jeffery E. Common Volunteer Asphyxiation Oregon Coos Bay Fire and Rescue 11/25/2002 Chuck Hanners Volunteer Asphyxiation Oregon Coos Bay Fire and Rescue 6/21/2002 Daniel E. Rama Contract Trauma Oregon Grayback Forestry, Inc. 6/21/2002 Retha M. Shirley Contract Trauma Oregon Grayback Forestry, Inc. 7/2/2002 Alan W. Wyatt Contract Trauma Oregon United States Forest Service - Columbine East Ranger District 9/4/2002 Joseph J. Craft Volunteer Cardiovascular Pennsylvania Universal Volunteer Fire Department Penn Hills #6 11/1/2002 Timothy A. DiOrio Volunteer Asphyxiation Pennsylvania Maine Fire Company of the Coal Township Fire Department 8/3/2000 Jack E. Gazalie Volunteer Smoke Inhalation Pennsylvania Adamsburg and Community Volunteer Fire Department 8/17/2002 William H. Goodrich Jr. Volunteer Cardiovascular Pennsylvania North Hampton Volunteer Fire Department 11/4/2002 Edmund E. Malinski Volunteer Smoke Inhalation Pennsylvania Northern Wayne Fire Company 12/7/2002 Henry J. Wissel Volunteer Cardiovascular Pennsylvania Heidelberg Volunteer Fire Department 1/21/2002 Thomas E. Andersen Career Cardiovascular South Carolina Surfside Beach Fire Department 5/6/2002 Thomas W. Kickler Volunteer Cardiovascular South Carolina Laurens County Fire Department 8/6/2002 David A. Martin Volunteer Burns South Dakota Opal Volunteer Fire Department 9/10/2002 Roger G. McMillin Volunteer Asphyxiation South Dakota Martin Volunteer Fire Department 9/5/2002 Jason J. Hampton Volunteer Trauma Tennessee Almaville Volunteer Fire Department 12/5/2002 Dennis L. Harris Volunteer Cardiovascular Tennessee Mount Vernon Volunteer Fire Department 1/11/2002 Richard A. Majors Career Cardiovascular Tennessee Nashville Fire Department 3/1/2002 Thomas S. Murray Volunteer Asphyxiation Tennessee Jefferson City Fire Department 11/10/2002 Robert G. Poore Volunteer Cardiovascular Tennessee Briceville Volunteer Fire Department 4/7/2002 Kevin L. Baker Volunteer Cardiovascular Texas Mid-North Johnson County Volunteer Fire Department 2/11/2002 Vincent L. Davis Career Trauma Texas Dallas Fire and Rescue 12/5/2002 Michael L. DePauw Career Cardiovascular Texas Dallas Fire and Rescue 8/12/2002 Roger M. Dunn Volunteer Cardiovascular Texas Clute Volunteer Fire Department 8/12/2002 Travis L. Wiens Volunteer Trauma Texas Wichita West Volunteer Fire Department 3/16/2002 Clarence F. Birchmore Volunteer Cardiovascular Vermont Whiting Volunteer Fire Department

In addition to the 98 firefighters who died in the line of duty, six other firefighters who died in previous years but were only recently identified to be line of duty fatalities will be formally honored at the Memorial Weekend, which takes place at the Foundation's Memorial located on the campus of the United States Fire Academy in Emmistburg, Maryland.

The United States Congress created the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to lead a nationwide effort to remember America's fallen firefighters. Since 1992, the tax-exempt, nonprofit Foundation has developed and expanded programs to honor our fallen fire heroes and assist their families and coworkers. The Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, located in Emmitsburg, Maryland. It is registered as a corporation in the State of Maryland. The Foundation receives funding through private donations from individuals, organizations, corporations, and foundations. For more information on the Foundation and to learn how you may make a tax-deductible donation, visit www.firehero.org or call 301.447.1365.