WOOD RIVER -- A community of family, friends and neighbors came together on Thursday to bid farewell to two of their own.
But another community gathered on Thursday in Wood River to pay last respects to their fallen comrades.
Prior to the funeral for Wood River firefighters Capt. Robert Heminger and Capt. Kenneth Woitalewicz, about 500 firefighters, law enforcement personnel and emergency medical technicians from across Nebraska gathered at Babel's Barn before proceeding to Wood River Rural High School, where the services were held.
Both Heminger and Woitalewicz died as the result of injuries suffered while attempting to rescue Anna Carrig on Saturday at a house fire in Wood River. Carrig died at the scene. Heminger died early Sunday morning and Woitalewicz on Tuesday.
Traveling with a contingent of volunteer firefighters and EMTs from Imperial was veteran firefighter of 29 years Dan Rowley. He knew both Heminger and Woitalewicz from the fire schools they had attended. He had come to Wood River to assist on Saturday after learning about the deadly accident involving the two firefighters.
Rowley said that shared sense of duty brought him and the other firefighters and emergency personnel to Wood River to pay their last respects to Heminger and Woitalewicz and condolences to their families.
"We are all in this together," he said.
That shared sense of duty in the face of the unpredictability that can define a fire scene binds firefighters together. Judgments of life and death are made in a split second, and lives can be lost in the line of duty, such as with Heminger and Woitalewicz in their unselfish and dangerous attempt to rescue a fellow human being.
"It's something that you never know," Rowley said. "Every time you go out on a call, you're laying your life on the line. When one of us falls, it's pretty sad."
Attending the funeral with his fellow firefighters from Lincoln was David Backhus. Like Rowley, he felt a deep sense of loss at the deaths of his two brother firefighters.
"We are sad that this would happen," Backhus said. "We should never lose a brother or a sister in a fire. It's our jobs. It's what we do. We are here to pay our respects to the guys who have lost their lives."
Backhus said he has experienced his share of close calls while fighting fires during his 14 years as a firefighter.
"You never know when you go out the door," he said. "It could be your last call. These guys were pretty special."
It was also fitting that the firefighters, law enforcement officials and other emergency personnel gathered at Babel's Barn, which is about a quarter-mile from Wood River Rural High School, where the funerals were held.
Babel's Barn is owned by 18-year Wood River Volunteer Fire Department veteran Tom Babel.
The facility also hosted about 70 people who watched the services via closed-circuit television. The hookup with the high school was donated by Charter Communications.
After the funeral and burial of Heminger and Woitalewicz, the families of the two fallen firefighters gathered back at Babel's Barn for a dinner.
Babel said the barn is like a second home to many members of the Wood River Volunteer Fire Department. It's a place where meetings, meals, receptions and recreational events occur and the firefighters could unwind with their friends and families.
"I think one of the reasons why they wanted to have the meal out here is this is like home to them," Babel said. "This has been their building. The Fire Department uses this facility for different things.
"Bobby was always here for the Husker football games and the other events we have here. Kenny would come over, too. This is kind of a second home for the firemen for whatever they wanted to use it for."
He said having the building host some of the events associated with the funerals brought personal meaning not only to him and his fellow members of the Wood River Volunteer Fire Department but also to the hundreds of other firefighters and emergency personnel who gathered there prior to the funeral. Babel said both Heminger's and Woitalewicz's presence will always be part of the building.
While Babel has been a member of the Wood River Volunteer Fire Department for 18 years, he said he hasn't been active over the last four to five years
"I've been pretty busy and haven't been helping a lot," he said. "But with these guys now gone, I'm going to start responding again."
Babel said the community has really come together after the deaths of their family members.
"It tells me that people care about people," he said. "It is what makes Wood River a special place."
Helping out with the services at Babel's Barn was Neal Sidders, who is a member of the Wood River Rural Fire Board. He knew both Heminger and Woitalewicz very well.
"It was very touching service," Sidders said. "It commemorated their service to the community. We will miss them very much."
Related:
- Final Call Home for Heroic Nebraska Firefighters
- Not Just A Friend, But Family
- Second Nebraska Firefighter Dies from Injuries
- Nebraska Blaze Rescue Attempt Leaves Firefighter Dead
- Wood River Fire Department - Firehouse.com Profile
- Wood River Fire Department - Official Home Page
- Firefighter, Woman Die In House Fire
- Firefighters Lay to Rest Former Nebraska Chief
