Month: June 2016

Thomas Fritz Hampl

Rogers Helicopters/SkyLife Helicopter
Fresno, California

On the evening of December 10, 2015, Pilot Thomas Fritz Hampl and medical crew were transporting a critically ill patient when a catastrophic failure occurred causing the helicopter to crash, killing all aboard.

Thomas was a veteran pilot of 17 years with over 11,000 hours of flight time. He loved to be in the sky and enjoyed everything about flying helicopters. He loved his job and also loved going home to Oregon to see his family.

Thomas moved from Germany to the United States in 1998 to be a pilot. He was married and had two young sons.

Honored 2016

Thomas Giammarino

FDNY-EMS
New York, New York

Before being promoted to the rank of EMS Lieutenant, “Tommy G” – as friends and co-workers knew him – was a member of the New York City Emergency Medical Service’s elite Special Operations Division. The unit was responsible for Haz-Mat response, specialized rescue, and scene support at MCIs.

“He had a great sense of humor and nothing ever seemed to faze him”. Tommy could always be relied upon to get things done in even the most chaotic environments. He was found at many scenes with his signature box of pretzel rods, which he was always willing to share.

On the morning of 9/11 Tommy responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center and spent countless hours on the pile at ground zero searching for his fallen co-workers unaware that his efforts and exposure would be fatal.

Tommy continued as a Lieutenant, working in Brooklyn’s Station 31 until he was too ill to continue working. He succumbed to illness on October 7, 2014.

Honored 2016

Chad Allyn Frary

Native Air
Globe, Arizona

It was no surprise that Chad went into the field he did – he was always taking care of others. He was an amazing person even as a teenager and young adult. Anyone who was lucky enough to know him in any capacity will agree. Upon graduating high school, Chad enlisted into the military and proudly served his country as a United States Marine.

Chad was described as a fun person to work with, a wonderful nurse and an amazing person. He had a courageous heart, as he flew the skies, giving aid to those who needed him. He touched so many lives and his life of self-sacrifice is surely one to imitate.

On the evening of December 15, 2015, Native Air 5, while returning to base in Globe, Arizona, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, crashed into the Superstitions Mountains. Chad, you will be missed. Father, Husband, Flight Nurse, Friend, and Marine. Semper Fi.

Honored 2016

Luis de Peña

FDNY-EMS
New York, New York

After a colleague kidded him about his weight, he quipped that he wasn’t fat—he was fluffy. Much to his parent’s chagrin, the name stuck. Luis had a way of making everyone he came in contact with laugh and smile. “He was just one of those guys who made us feel good.” When he arrived on scene, everyone knew things would be okay. Luis was an extremely dedicated person with a big heart. He was the type of person that if he had something, you had it too. To him it was all about giving and seeing people happy.

On the days following the 9/11 attacks, Luis de Peña spent countless hours in the rescue and recovery effort at the World Trade Center disaster site. “Regardless of the danger, regardless of the struggle, Luis de Peña braved the toxic clouds of dust to aid in the rescue and recovery.” de Peña’s efforts to save lives at the disaster site proved fatal 12 years later as he succumbed to disease on November 7, 2013.

He worked in many of the city’s toughest areas in his 18 years, Harlem, the South Bronx, el Barrio, and Washington Heights to name a few. In the years following the 9/11 attacks, he attended many National EMS Memorial services to honor his fallen co-workers. As a lasting tribute to Luis, West 172nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan was renamed “EMT Luis de Peña Jr. Square.”

Honored 2016

 

Shane Michael Clifton

City of St. Paul Fire Department
St. Paul, Minnesota

On August 31, 2015, 38-year-old Firefighter/Paramedic Shane Michael Clifton was on duty nine hours into his 24-hour shift and had been on five of the six calls that St. Paul Engine/Medic 14 had responded to that day. Approximately 45 minutes after returning to Station 14, he suffered a cardiac arrest in the watch office.

Firefighter Clifton joined the St. Paul Fire Department in 2007, spending most of his career at Station 14. He served as both a firefighter and a paramedic for the city of St. Paul. He participated in two humanitarian missions in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake there.

Shane served in the US Navy as well as private and fire based EMS. “Shane was the consummate professional and a proud member of a career that he truly loved.”

Firefighter Clifton wore his St. Paul fire badge close to his heart for the job he loved. At his funeral, his fellow firefighters presented his badges to two little girls who always put a smile on his face — his 1- and 8-year-old daughters.

He was remembered as a man who could be tough when fighting blazes, but who had a compassionate side for the patients to whom he tended as a paramedic.

Honored 2016

Francis Charles

FDNY-EMS
New York, New York

Francis joined New York City Emergency Medical Service in January 1986 as an EMT. He was assigned to EMS Station 33, which later became FDNY EMS Station 58 in Brooklyn, where he served for his entire career.

He knew that there was nothing more rewarding than helping others.  He had a fatherly trait and showed all he encountered that he truly cared for them. He was active in his community where he lived. He was a religious man who was known as “Elder Charles” in his congregation at the Emmaus Church.

On September 11, 2001 and for many weeks thereafter, he like many of his co-workers, worked at the World Trade Center in an effort to rescue and later recover the bodies of the victims and his coworkers and friends who perished in the attack. He became ill from the toxins he was exposed to during this time and like many workers at Ground Zero.

Francis succumbed to his illness on August 27, 2013.

Honored 2016

 

Michael Cavanagh

FDNY-EMS
New York, New York

He was a real gentleman with a winning smile.  The New York City Emergency Medical Services welcomed Michael as a Paramedic on April 20, 1987. He attended the Academy with his sister, Patricia.  By June he was working as a citywide paramedic, meaning he worked in just about every borough and every shift until he found a permanent spot on a regular unit.  Michael absolutely loved being a medic and he also loved the camaraderie of EMS.  He knew how to make his patients feel comfortable and secure. If all they needed was for him to hold their hand, he would do that. Being a paramedic was not just a job for Michael, it was a calling. It was a feeling in his body and mind that led him to be the kind of medic he was.

Michael served in the Air Force in the mid 1970’s. He liked the sense of belonging to something bigger than he was. It probably started with his family of one brother (Alfred) and 2 sisters (Patricia and Maureen) and of course his parents, about 27 first cousins, nieces and nephews, many neighborhood friends, boy scouts and school baseball teams. He eventually had his own family – Mary (his wife) and his children Mary and Joseph.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, like hundreds of his fellow first responders, Michael responded to the attacks at the World Trade Center.  He spent endless days on site during the rescue and recovery operations.  His efforts to save lives at the disaster site proved fatal 12 years later as he succumbed to disease on December 2, 2013.

Honored 2016