It is a tragedy for sure. Firefighters, career and volunteer, impressed me so much I joined the service some 20 years ago, later in life. My experience is that there is a significant number of licensed hams, many ARRL members, in both the volunteer and career emergency services. Particularly fire & rescue companies. Be interesting to explore, maybe an article there somewhere, on such volunteerism by hams in other non-radio emergency services. We see them everywhere like Red Cross, urban SAR teams and such as well.
Like some of your states, Pennsylvania is dependent on professionally trained volunteers for 95% of our fire service. In my busy company alone www.rosetreefire.com (company 73) where I serve as captain, there are three other ARRL members, 2 of which who serve both as firefighters and help maintain our fleet of 45 radios. WB2C, N3SKW and N3BKR, all ARRL members, have served with me for years. N3SKW is my spouse and ARRL life member – she volunteers and runs the books and funding-grants and such after working 50 hours a week on projects for a major US bank. Most of the local mutual aid companies which support us have active hams as well – they serve in my county ARES with many also volunteer EMS. At my company 73, we have only 1 in 10 new recruits stay after the first 6 month. The PA legislature calls it a crisis as no one signs up anymore even though the state and my company pay for great, expensive professional training, transferable certifications and everything. We lost two volunteer firefighters with families in my local area to duty deaths last month in separate on-site incidents. The cliché is all firefighters are brothers or sisters, and it has proven true in my experience.
No ham I know has left the fire service except in tragedy or moving away. Half-staff was appropriate, thank you.
RIP Colin - KB1YYG SK
Bob Famiglio, K3RF
Vice Director - ARRL Atlantic Division
610-359-7300
www.QRZ.com/db/K3RF
From: arrl-odv On Behalf Of rjairam@gmail.com
Sent: Friday, August 13, 2021 5:59 AM
To: Minster, David NA2AA (CEO) <dminster@arrl.org>
Cc: arrl-odv <arrl-odv@arrl.org>
Subject: [arrl-odv:32681] Re: Sad news
Thank you David. This is extremely sad news. Especially for someone so young.
73
Ria
N2RJ
On Thu, Aug 12, 2021 at 5:47 PM Minster, David NA2AA (CEO) <dminster@arrl.org> wrote:
It is tough when we lose young hams.
An historic building in nearby New Hartford went to a 3 alarm fire on Tuesday morning.
As a result of risking his life to fight the fire, 26-year-old Burlington firefighter, Colin J. Mcfadden, KB1YYG, from Bristol, Connecticut has died from an injury he sustained.
Colin was an ARRL member.
We are flying the flags at half-staff in acknowledgement and appreciation of his bravery and membership.
David
_______________________________________________
arrl-odv mailing list
arrl-odv@reflector.arrl.org
https://reflector.arrl.org/mailman/listinfo/arrl-odv