| Editor's note: Check FireRescue1's special news report for the latest coverage of the S.C. tragedy. |
By Jamie Thompson
FireRescue1 News Editor
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PHOTO AP/Charles Krupa
Worcester District Chief Michael McNamee leans on a ladder truck with the number "6" added to the city's seal at a firehouse in Worcester on Tuesday.
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It's hard for most firefighters to imagine what the Charleston, S.C., Fire Department is going through as it comes to terms with the deaths of nine of its brothers in a warehouse fire Monday.
Frank Raffa, president of Local 1009 of the IAFF in Worcester, Mass., is one who can.
In 1999, his department suffered what had been prior to Monday the deadliest building fire involving firefighters, excluding 9/11.
When he first heard about the deaths in Charleston, it brought memories of the incident on December 3, 1999, flooding back.
The fire started when a homeless couple in the building argued and knocked over a candle. They fled without reporting the fire.
Two firefighters entered the building, believing squatters were inside. After becoming lost in smoke, they radioed for help. Four other firefighters followed them, but they too were overcome by the smoke. All six firefighters died.
Raffa, along with Worcester Fire Chief Gerard Dio and other senior department members, headed to Charleston Tuesday to offer their support.
"I first got a call about the fire late Monday night or early Tuesday morning, saying that they may have had many firefighter fatalities," Raffa said. "It brought back December 3, something which is always at the back of our minds anyway."
Heart raced
Worcester District Fire Chief Michael McNamee, the incident commander on the night of the warehouse fire in 1999, said his heart began to race and his hands started to shake when learned of the S.C. deaths.
"I know what those guys in Charleston are going through and what they're about to go through," he told The Associated Press. "It's not going to be easy at all."
The community in Charleston is already rallying to support its fire department. On Tuesday, memorials began appearing across the city. Soon, Raffa said, the Charleston department will discover the effect the tragedy has had across the world.
In the aftermath of the Worcester warehouse blaze, the department received more than 80,000 letters of sympathy and support from both home and abroad.
Raffa said they are explaining to the Charleston department how they responded to the outpouring of sympathy, including printing their own thank-you cards and working with the postal service to cover the costs of sending them to every person who sent them letters.
Dealing with grief
He added that they are also stressing the need for critical incident stress management to enable crewmates of the fallen to come to terms with their grief.
The Worcester department brought in highly trained personnel, Raffa said, to offer help to department members after the 1999 tragedy.
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PHOTO AP/Charles Krupa
A faded heart hangs Tuesday from a fence at the site of the former cold storage warehouse in Worcester, where six firefighters died.
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"Every firefighter had to see someone, even if they chose not to say anything," he said.
The hardest part for the Charleston crews, Raffa said, could come in the coming weeks, months and even years.
The Worcester delegation has been explaining to their counterparts in Charleston that emotional problems can occur long after the traumatic event.
"We've explained that years later you can still have issues," Raffa said, "and we've had to let them know that it's not going to be easy.
"They need to look out for the guy who was always happy and smiling, who suddenly becomes moody. Some guys find relief in alcohol. You just have to keep an eye on everyone."
• A memorial service for the fallen S.C. firefighters will take place at 10 a.m. Friday at the North Charleston Coliseum, 5001 Coliseum Drive, North Charleston.
