Fire Lieutenant Killed Battling Brooklyn Blaze

By ARI PAUL

Just hours after the Fire Department celebrated the induction of dozens of new officers into its ranks Jan. 3, it lost a Lieutenant with 14 years on the job in the line of duty.

JOHN H. MARTINSON

'A Great Reputation'

Lieut. John H. Martinson of Engine Company 249 in Brooklyn died while responding to a fire in Crown Heights. Appointed to the department in 1993 and promoted to Lieutenant in 2002, he was the 1,138th firefighter to die in the line of the duty in its history. He is survived by a wife and a one-year-old son. He was 40.

"He was a decorated fire officer," said James McGowan, vice president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association. "He always worked in busy houses. He had a great reputation. He had a bright future."

The union could not comment on the nature of the fire or the Lieutenant's death as Fire Marshals were investigating the incident. The funeral will be held Jan. 8 at 11 a.m. at the Church of St. Clare in Staten Island.

Multiple Companies

More than 100 firefighters responded to the fire in a 25-story residential building on Bedford Ave. that was formerly the site of Ebbets Field when the Brooklyn Dodgers played there. Ten others, including firefighters, sustained injuries, according to the Associated Press.

The Chief-Leader/Michael O'Kane PAYING RESPECTS TO DEPARTED COLLEAGUE: Firefighters gather outside the wake for Lieut. John Martinson Jan. 6 at the Casey-McCallum Rice South Shore Funeral Home in Staten Island.

Last year, three Firefighters died in the line of duty. Firefighter Daniel Pujdak, 23, had been with the department two years when he responded with Ladder Company 146 to a fire at 83 Meserole St. in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn on June 21 and fell from the top of a four floor building to his death. Two Firefighters, Joseph Graffagnino and Robert Beddia, died fighting a blaze at the Deutsche Bank Building Aug. 18 next to the World Trade Center. That incident is under investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney and the State Attorney General.