BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo community mourns the loss of the heroic firefighter killed in the fire at DC Theatricks on Main Street.
A husband, a father and a brother from Engine 2, the fallen hero is remembered by his loved ones who are grieving.
“I had to say the words at one point,” said Paul Seil, Chaplain at the Buffalo Fire Department, who had to deliver the news to the victim’s family. "We want to say something that would kind of make it alright, but there's nothing to say.”
The firefighter made the ultimate sacrifice with his family and the greater community now forced to wrap their minds around what those in the brotherhood say they will never fully understand.
“The public can't possibly recognize — you would have to go through it to understand it,” said Garnell Whitfield, Former Commissioner of the Buffalo Fire Department. “The thing about the fire department is that they keep the public from going through much of what they go through. That's their job, not only to rescue people but to prevent emergencies from occurring.”
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation tonight is sending a rapid response team to Buffalo to help offer support for those grieving, arrange the funeral and aid the department in the unimaginable task of shifting its focus forward.
The foundation says faces over 100 of these tragedies annually.
“We'll be there long term for the families, through programs and activities that help them deal with the grief and to figure out what is the best way for them to continue their moving forward without their loved one being a part of their family unit,” said Ron Siarnicki, the foundation’s Executive Director.
But for the families and the brotherhood now left behind, Wednesday’s heroic actions mark just the beginning.
“This is not something that they will ever get over,” Whitfield said.
"For this family, this will go on,” Seil said. “This will be for the rest of their lives.”