Leary Foundation Continues to Support Worcester FD

Worcester-born actor, comedian, writer and firefighter booster Denis Leary helped dedicate the latest addition to the Fire Department's fleet on Friday, a heavy-duty pickup truck used in special operations.

"I'm just the famous guy who gets up and says we need money," Mr. Leary said. "I get way too much credit for this."

The one-ton Chevrolet Silverado 3500 was funded through a partnership of the Leary Firefighters Foundation and CSX Corp. The $50,000 vehicle will replace an older, smaller pickup.Mr. Leary said it is through the public's continuing generosity that the foundation is able to provide for fire departments across the country.

"When you mention firefighters and their needs," Mr. Leary said, the public's response and support is "almost immediate" because of their respect for firefighters.

The Leary Firefighters Foundation was established in response to the Dec. 3, 1999, Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. fire that claimed the lives of six city firefighters, including Jeremiah M. Lucey, Mr. Leary's cousin.

Maurice O'Connell, a CSX spokesman, and City Manager Michael V. O'Brien offered congratulations to the Worcester Fire Department before Fire Chaplain Walter Riley said a prayer and sprinkled holy water on the new truck as a bagpiper played.

The new truck has all the bells and whistles, including four two-way radios, a full lighting and warning package, a custom console and chrome step-bars on the side of the truck. District Special Operations Chief Timothy J. Gardell has driven the truck for a couple of months.

"It's a very, very nice vehicle," Chief Gardell said. He said the truck has already been used at several fires in the region.

Before the brief dedication ceremony, Mr. Leary shook hands with firefighters, a new recruit class and posed for photos. He joked that it seemed the majority of the crowd gathered for the ceremony was his family.

Fire Chief Gerard A. Dio said it was a happy day for firefighters.

"Santa Claus is back in town," Chief Dio said. "Denis has been very supportive of us for the past 12 years, and we're very grateful."

The foundation has raised about $10 million; of that, Worcester Fire Department has received about $2.5 million over a dozen years for the new truck, a training building, specialized imaging cameras and a scuba truck with scuba equipment for water rescues.

The new truck will be used to tow special operations trailers. One trailer carries equipment to fight large fuel or chemical fires or to respond to hazardous materials incidents. The second trailer has equipment for trench or other problematic rescue efforts.

There was a constant click of cameras as Mr. Leary mingled. Rhonda Besau of Worcester asked Mr. Leary if she could shake his hand, and he did. He offered to pose for a picture with her and her parents, Marge and Tony Ritacco of Dudley.

"Because we're madly in love with Denis," Ms. Besau said. She and her mother were huge fans of Mr. Leary's TV series, "Rescue Me."

"He's a great person inside and out," Mrs. Ritacco said. "He's so down to earth."

Mr. Leary spent a couple of hours in Worcester before heading to Boston for a screening of "Burn: One Year on the Front Lines to Save Detroit," at the Somerville Theater. He was the documentary's executive producer.

"Every city you go to in America," Mr. Leary said, "firefighters are in dire need" of equipment, training and pay raises. He said he never imagined when he started the foundation there would still be a need for it 13 years later. "I still dream of the day the foundation is not needed anymore."

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