Our condolences to the Schwendeman family and the Dunham Township, Ohio Volunteer Fire Department. FireFighter Dustin
Schwendeman, 26, an eight year veteran of the Dunham Township Volunteer Fire Department, died Monday, January 21,
2002. Dustin was responding to a mutual aid structure fire in his personal vehicle when he hit a patch of ice. Dustin was
ejected through the sunroof of his vehicle after it rolled several times. He was transported to a local hospital with
severe head injuries. He was then airlifted to Grant Medical Center in Columbus, where he later died.
For more news, information, and photos, please visit the
Dustin Schwendeman Memorial in the
Fallen Brothers Section.
1/24/02 Photo Gallery Updates
Jerry Buner of Orange County, New York sent me 6 more photos to add to the
Jerry Buner
photo gallery.
I added 2 more armpatches to the
Armpatch Gallery,
including one submitted by Rick Susalla, a Deputy Chief with the Holiday Park, Pennsylvania VFD.
I also added a helmet shield from Matt, Engine 33 of the F.D.D.C. to the
Helmet Shield Gallery.
I can only guess that is the Washington D.C. Fire Department. Hopefully he will respond
with more information.
1/23/02 9-11 Snow Memorial
Bruce Richard of Harwinton, Connecticut paid tribute to our fallen brothers in New York by recreating in snow the historic
moment they raised the flag at ground zero. I made a page with the image larger and linked it to the
Fallen Brothers
page.
1/23/02 Line of Duty Death - Surfside Beach, SC
Our condolences to the Anderson family and the Surfside Beach, South Carolina Fire Department. Assistant Chief Tom
Anderson, a 22 year veteran of the Surfside Beach Fire Department died Monday, January 21, 2002. Tom was interior
command in a 2 story beach front condo structure fire. When inside the building he was stricken and collapsed. He was
removed and transported to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead. His cause of
death to be determined.
For more news, information, and photos, please visit the
Tom Anderson Memorial in the
Fallen Brothers Section.
1/22/02 World Trade Center Memorial Bracelets
Safe-T-Pet, a manufacturer of identification tags, is selling memory bracelets and dog tags to honor the fallen FDNY and
NYPD victims of 9-11. The anodized aluminum bracelets and tags are available in red (FDNY) or blue (NYPD) colors and are
laser-engraved with a fallen brothers name for a permanent mark. Cost is $5.00 per bracelet and $3.00 per tag. You can
order your bracelet or tag
here.
1/21/02 World Trade Center Victims' Anthem
I was contacted by Susan Wiseman, a musician who was inspired by the terrorist attacks of 9-11. Susan has been writing
songs for over 30 years, primarily christian and melodic love songs, all inspired by deeply emotional experiences in her
life. After learning of the disaster in New York, Susan began writing "God Will Prevail", The Victim's Anthem, expressing
her thoughts and emotions over the days, as the tragedy unfolded. It is her wish that all the victims' families, firefighters,
and policemen could all receive a copy of this song, with hopes that it would be a comfort to them and give them inspiration.
You can download her song
here.
1/20/02 Armpatch Gallery Update
I finally finished updating the armpatch gallery. Tom Rige has added 12 more to the gallery. Todd Collitti's collection was
huge. I took 120 photographs of his armpatches mounted in page protectors. 4 days work yielded 455 patches. Thanks for
your submission guys. These new additions bring the total to 830. Please check out the all new
Armpatch Gallery.
1/18/02 Line of Duty Death - Long Branch, NJ
Our condolences to the Feeney family and the Long Branch, New Jersey Fire Department. FireFighter Robert Feeney,
41, a 20 year veteran of the Long Branch Volunteer Fire Department died Wednesday, January 16, 2002. Robert was
responding to a structure fire in a three story home. While connecting a five-inch supply line, he collapsed. EMS on the
scene began CPR and he was transported to Monmouth Medical Center where he later died.
For more news, information, and photos, please visit the
Robert Feeney Memorial in the
Fallen Brothers Section.
1/18/02 Line of Duty Death - White Pine, TN
Our condolences to the Sinard family and the White Pine, Tennessee Volunteer Fire Department. FireFighter Debra Sinard,
43, a veteran of the White Pine Volunteer Fire Department died Wednesday, December 24, 2001. Approximately 45
minutes following an airpack training session, Debra collapsed at home and died from an apparent heart attack. The cause
is is under investigation.
For more news, information, and photos, please visit the
Debra Sinard Memorial in the
Fallen Brothers Section.
1/18/02 Photo Gallery Update
While finding an original photo that was used for the FireFightingLinks.com logo, Jim Burns of the Waterbury Fire Department
gave me 11 new photos to add to his gallery. I needed the original for some bumper stickers I am having printed up. Check
out his new photos in the
Jim Burns
photo gallery.
1/17/02 Armpatch Gallery Updates
Robert Miller of Jefferrson County, Tennessee sent me 3 armpatches to add to the
Armpatch Gallery.
You can also see Robert's Jefferson County helmet shield in the
Helmet Shield Gallery.
I will be posting a bulk addition of armpatches very soon. Todd Collitti, of WFD Rescue 9, let me take photos of his collection
and I am about half done with editing his approximately 500 armpatches.
1/15/02 Photo Gallery Updates and USFA Search
I started a new photo gallery with 4 apparatus and station photos for Peter Flair. Peter was a past Chief of a VFD on Long
Island and is now a Battalion Chief on Long Island. Check out the
Peter Flair
photo gallery.
Jerry Buner of Orange County sent me 3 more photos to add to his gallery. There are now 65 photos in the
Jerry Buner
photo gallery.
I also added a new search engine to the site. If you cannot find an entry on my website for a fallen brother, you can now
search the United States Fire Administration's database by using the
USFA Search
page.
1/14/02 Connecticut Special Olympics Penguin Plunge
Mike Barry, of WFD Engine 1, brought the Connecticut Special Olympics Penguin Plunge 2002 to my attention. Jump in Lake
Quassapaug, Middlebury on February 9, 2002 and raise money for the Connecticut Special Olympics. If you would like to join
the penguins, call Steve DeWitte (203) 267-6566. If you would like to sponsor a penguin, contact Mike Barry at (203) 597-
3401. More information can be found at the Connecticut Special Olympics
Penguin Plunge
page.
1/13/02 National Firefighters 9-11 Memorial Patch Project
Brett Hill, of the South Pasadena, California FD, and co-founder of the
National Firefighters 9-11 Memorial Patch Project
is trying to get every firefighter in America to wear their armpatch. I like this one alot and have ordered one
already. To order simply call: 1-800-388-4911 or 661-257-0331. I also added it to the
Armpatch Gallery.
1/12/02 Photo Gallery Updates and Armpatch for Sale Gallery
Tom Duff has had our WFD Headquarters armpatch put up for sale. They can be ordered from
The Finest and Bravest.com.
If you would like to sell your Deparment/Company armpatch, post it on the
Armpatch Sale Gallery.
Tom Rige, Retired NYPD & Fire Buff, has sent me 6 more armpatches, 3 of which are World Trade Center armpatches. He also
sent me 3 photos of apparatus and fire stations to add to the
Tom Rige
photo gallery.
Dean Blyth, Volunteer FireFighter with the Mooroolbark Fire Brigade of Australia, sent me to 2 armpatches to add to the
Armpatch Gallery
also.
1/10/02 Nino's 9/11 Fund
Nino’s has been serving the New York City public for over 28 years. After the events of September 11, Nino’s opened as
a relief center for thousands of police officers, firefighters, EMS and other rescue workers. The restaurant, which
once served only 150 customers a day, has been serving nutritious meals to thousands of relief workers, around the
clock.
They have made a commitment to keep their doors open until New York City has healed and been rebuilt. To that end,
on September 24 the Nino’s Restaurant 9/11 Fund was created. A non-profit corporation, the Nino’s Restaurant 9/11 Fund
operates exclusively as a relief center to feed and comfort the workers involved in the rescue and rebuilding efforts
at Ground Zero.
If you would like to donate money or volunteer your time to help, please visit their website -
www.ninos911.org.
1/9/02 Armpatch Gallery Updates and WFD Schedule
I would like to thank Tom Duff and Mark Moran for the excellent effort they gave in creating a station armpatch for WFD
Headquarters. It can be found in the
Armpatch
photo gallery along with 3 more new ones from Tom Rige, and another new one from Zary, Poland. And don't worry Tom,
as soon as the last page is full, I will sort them and move your armpatch to the front page with the rest of the WFD
armpatches.
On my return from vacation I received the official Local 1339 WFD pocket calendars. I finally updated the holidays on the
WFD Schedule
page. Please let me know if any errors are found and I will correct them.
1/8/02 Attention WFD Members Local 1339
The January regular meeting of Local 1339 will be Thursday, January 10, 2002, at Station 2, 7PM.
1/7/02 Photo Gallery Updates
I finally added my newest shield to the
Helmet Shield
photo gallery. At an annual dinner last month I was made an Honorary Pipe Major by the Connecticut Firefighters Pipes and
Drums, for all the work I have done on their website. The shield is handpainted, numbered, and signed by the artist. You can
visit the Connecticut Firefighters Pipes and Drums website by clicking
here.
Also, the steady stream of armpatches keep rolling in. Please send me yours if is not already in the gallery. 4 more were
added to the
Armpatch
photo gallery.
1/6/02 Stormy Road Home
I had an extremely stormy ride home from Florida. We left on Thursday and ran into the southern storm that blanketed the
southern states and their palm trees with snow. People simply would not heed the 'Bridge Ices before Roadway' signs.
By the time we got there the snow had been removed but the bridges had ice on them early Friday morning. Time and time
again we would see cars spun out and rolled over after bridge overpasses. Eventually it turned into a 3 day trip, but oh well,
we made it home safe.
Anyways, I would like to thank the guys at the Spring Hill Drive Station, in Spring Hill, Florida, for the armpatches they
swapped with me and the job shirt they gave me. I added the Spring Hill FD and Florida EMT armpatches to the
Armpatch
photo gallery.
1/2/02 Photo Galleries Updated
Jerry Buner of Orange County, New York sent me 9 more apparatus photos, which were added to the
Jerry Buner
photo gallery.
Three more armpatches were added to the
Armpatch
photo gallery, including this one, a new 9-11 World Trade Center armpatch. This armpatch can be ordered from
The Patchman website.
I will post more information on his website in the following days.
