Remember 'Johnny Nice Guy' And Other FDNY Heroes; At Annual Fire Memorial

Standing out at the Fire Department's annual Memorial Day Oct. 8 was the memory of a former cop known to his company as "Johnny Nice Guy."

The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang REMEMBERING THE 'FIRST GUY OFF THE RIG': Mayor Bloomberg presents awards to Jessica Martinson, the widow of Lieut. John Martinson. The fire officer died responding to a fire in Brooklyn after ensuring that the members of his company had escaped the blaze. 'Lieutenant Martinson really does deserve the word hero,' the Mayor said.

Fire Lieut. John Martinson, the lone firefighter to die in the line of duty in the past year, died in January while responding with Engine Company 249 to a fire in a 25-story residential building on Bedford Ave. that was the site of Ebbets Field when the Brooklyn Dodgers played there.

Made Sure Everyone Got Out

At the time of his death, many people noted that Lieutenant Martinson had succumbed to the fire because he remained in the building until he ensured that residents and his subordinates left.

"He forfeited his own life so that every one of them could escape safely," Mayor Bloomberg said in his speech. "Lieutenant Martinson really does deserve the word hero."

The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang HONORING THE FALLEN BRAVEST: The Fire Department paid tribute to the 15 members who died in the past year, including Emergency Medical Service Lieut. Brian Ellicott. Tom Eppinger, who as president of Local 3621 of District Council 37 represents EMS officers, believes that Mr. Ellicott's death is tied to breathing in toxins while working at Ground Zero.

Two members of the Dublin Fire Brigade who were in town for the annual Gaelic football match against the FDNY team attended the 101st FDNY Memorial Day in Riverside Park. Tadhg Fallon, bound to a wheelchair, left firefighting after losing his right leg in a truck accident.

He said that even foreigners could feel the emotional weight of the ceremony, with thousands of uniformed members lining Riverside Dr., as if the burden of death among firefighters was shared by all regardless of their nationality. There is a type of devotion that firefighters have that no other group possesses, Mr. Fallon said. Police officers, he said, were peacekeepers more than rescuers, while firefighters and medical responders every day came to the direct aid of those suffering in emergencies.

Special Equipment

"We don't carry guns," he said. Laughing, with his arms raised, he added, "We carry love."

The department honored its 14 members who died since last October's Memorial Day.

Most recently, Emergency Medical Technician Jason Ruiz of Station 35 was fatally stabbed outside his girlfriend's apartment Sept. 14. Throughout his career, EMT Ruiz received many citations for his work, and this summer rescued a woman who fell onto subway tracks.

Emergency Medical Service Lieut. Brian Ellicott, who worked 100 hours at Ground Zero during the first two weeks after 9/11, died Nov. 26 from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. His union president, Tom Eppinger, asserted after his death that it was directly related to breathing in toxins at the World Trade Center site.

Firefighter Died Saving Son

Firefighter Martin Simmons of Ladder Company 111 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn died July 21 while on vacation at Lake Tahoe. He dove into the lake to rescue his son, Kevin, who was having trouble staying afloat. Firefighter Simmons succumbed to the extreme cold of the water, officials said. His son survived.

The other fire-side members who were memorialized were Battalion Chief James J. Savastano of Battalion 4, Jr., Capt. Steven Jaeger of Ladder 137, Supervising Fire Marshal Douglas Mercereau of Brooklyn Command, and Firefighters Timothy Killarney of Ladder 126, Roger Peterson of Ladder 137, Sean McCarthy of Engine 280, Kevin Meehan of Engine 34 and David Clark of Ladder 77.

The other EMS members who were honored were EMTs Albert Silva Decruz III of Station 4, Pamela Walsh of EMS Dispatch and David Mangaran of Station 35.

In his speech during the ceremony, Chief of Department Salvatore Cassano noted that both the sacrifice of those who died in the line of duty and the support their families received from the members of the department were signs of honorable dedication.

"You do it because it's who you are," he said.