Firefighters Help a Brother;

In Treatment for Leukemia
Firefighters Help a Brother

A response to a car accident last October that brought Firefighter Kevin Lennon of Ladder Company 175 in Brooklyn into dangerous proximity to a victim's blood may have been a blessing in disguise.

The Chief-Leader/Samantha Sculley RAISING AWARENESS: Uniformed Firefighters Association President Steven Cassidy, right, praised the efforts of Ladder Company 175 and Engine Company 332 to host a blood drive and bone-marrow-testing session to raise awareness about leukemia. At left is Firefighter Dean Psathas of Ladder 175.

As a result of the encounter, Mr. Lennon and another Firefighter had blood tests. Neither contracted diseases from the victim, but it was discovered Mr. Lennon, 43, had leukemia and that it was caught in time for it to be treatable. He is currently on medical leave.

Firehouse Reaches Out

That is why his fellow firefighters at Ladder 175 and Engine Company 332 in East New York have set up a blood drive and bone-marrow-testing session, not for him specifically, but to raise awareness about the need to treat people with leukemia.

The blood drive and bone-marrow testing will take place April 12 at the Greenlawn Volunteer Fire Department at 23 Blvd. Ave. in Greenlawn, L.I., where Mr. Lennon resides, from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Firefighter Dean Psathas of Ladder 175 said that the firehouse will also have a fundraiser this summer that will support Mr. Lennon's family.

Firefighter Psathas said that the drive was part of the tradition of firefighters donating bone marrow and raising money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He noted firefighters are encouraged to give to charity beginning with their Fire Academy training, saying that being a firefighter was more than a job.

"There's something that goes beyond that," Mr. Psathas said.

Uniformed Firefighters Association President Steve Cassidy heralded the drive, saying that it was an example of how members of the Fire Department look after each other as well as members of their communities. He noted that local blood banks were running at near-depletion levels.

'No Longer Encouraged'

"I think one of the reasons is that people with their busy lives don't view it as they did in the past," Mr. Cassidy said. "A lot of employers don't give their staff a couple of hours off to give blood. It's just not encouraged the way it used to be. Firefighters, we used to have a blood day. We used to get a day off every couple of years for giving blood. There was always a mechanism to encourage blood donation."

The union relinquished that benefit during a past contract negotiation.

In the meantime, Mr. Psathas said that Mr. Lennon has been humbled by the support of his firehouse and was confident that he would recover.

"It's not a guarantee," Mr. Psathas said. "[But] if he remains the way he is, he may be in remission."