The tragedy in Charleston struck especially close to home here in Portland. The son of one our captains was at the fire on his first duty day in the Charleston Fire Department. He narrowly escaped with his life. His captain was one of those who died. Those who tend to doubt or are skeptical about the camaraderie or brotherhood in the fire service need only witness the brotherhood involved in this incident. The Portland captain had not heard about the fire but guys from his firehouse had heard and stopped at his house to find out if his son was alright. It took awhile to reach the son and in the meantime the brothers were assisting him in packing for the drive to South Carolina. His shifts at the firehouse were covered; phone calls were made to ensure his son was taken care of until the parents could arrive from Portland. This was all done in a manner of a few hours and phone calls along the way.

A close friend, colleague and true fire service leader also passed away in June. Tom Canzanella, deputy chief in the Hackensack, New Jersey Fire Department and president of the Professional Fire Fighters Association of New Jersey died on June 12. He was age 50. Tom was a young president of the firefighters local when five of his members were killed in the line of duty when a truss roof collapsed during a fire at an automobile dealership. Tom was instrumental in seeing a number of measures passed by the State of New Jersey including a truss identification law, mandatory incident command training and a number of other important firefighter safety measures. He helped in bringing FDIC to the East Coast and worked tirelessly to battle against the cities and towns in New Jersey who have been consistently under-funding their contributions to the state retirement system. Tom also touched many firefighters across the country as an instructor for the IAFF's excellent WMD and hazardous materials training program. His leadership and his energies are a big loss to the fire service.

The tragedy in Charleston is receiving tremendous scrutiny. Questions are being asked and certainly need to be asked. The loss of even one firefighter is too many and it requires that tough questions need to be asked. What we need to be careful of is casting judgments about the incident and about the fire department in the clarity of hindsight and the absence of facts. We will do the lost brothers and their families tremendous justice by letting the facts tell the story. While we can't control the media witch hunt and public inquisition into the matter; firefighters should not be fanning the flames. In the age of the Internet, YouTube, CNN and Firehouse.com we are only the next run away from similar inquisitions about our tactics, procedures and judgment. Before calling or responding to a media inquiry or ranting on talk radio, ask yourself how you would hold up under the same scrutiny.

The brothers and sisters and their families in Charleston need our support and sympathy. Support them in their time of need and the fire service will likely be there for you and your department if it is needed.

Honor the memory of the fallen! Stay Safe!

 John Cannon is a captain of an engine company in Portland, Maine. He has served for nearly 30 years in the fire service. He currently represents career firefighters on the State Emergency Response Commission and the Maine Fire Protection Services Commission.
All columns in the Firetec Connection express the opinions of the author.