Mourn Brooklyn Firefighter Who Fell From Roof

By ARI PAUL

Firefighter Daniel Pujdak of Ladder Company 146 in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, who died in the line of duty June 21, was known for arriving for his 6 p.m. tour at 4:30.

DANIEL PUJDAK

"He left his mark on his company by his aggressiveness, his eagerness," Capt. Jerry Horton told reporters at a ceremony outside the company's firehouse June 22, "just wanting to learn, asking questions."

Lost Balance

Firefighter Pujdak, 23, responded with his company to a fire on Meserole St. He lost his balance as he stepped off a ladder while carrying a 40 pound saw and fell from the roof and sustained fatal injuries, the department said. He was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital. He was appointed to the department on Sept. 25, 2005 and had been with the company for two years. Raised in nearby Greenpoint, Firefighter Pujdak was the first Firefighter killed on the job this year and the 1,135th member of the department to die in the line of duty in its 143-year history.

"He loved this firehouse," said Captain Horton. "And we loved him."

Uniformed Firefighters Association President Steve Cassidy was scheduled to be in Charleston, S.C. that day for a ceremony honoring nine firefighters who died there last week, but attended the ceremony at the Williamsburg firehouse.

The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang FALLEN BROTHER: Members of Engine Company 229 and Ladder Company 146 gathered outside their Williamsburg firehouse June 22 to honor Daniel Pujdak, who died in the line of duty a day earlier.

Funeral June 26

Funeral services for Firefighter Pujdak were scheduled for 11 a.m. June 26 at St. Cecelia's Roman Catholic Church in Greenpoint.

Frederick Cioffi, who lives next to the firehouse, watched three members of the company hang purple and black bunting on the firehouse and recalled how he recognized every Firefighter's face there and would continue to see them, but would now be missing one in particular.

"I'm crying inside because it was somebody I knew," he said, adding that he admired the company for its bravery. "They helped anybody who came to them for help. That's the way this company was and always will be."