Rudy Havelka was a man passionate about life and passionate about his job because his job was about life. From firefighter and basic EMT to paramedic, paramedic instructor, fire chief, and assistant chief fire instructor, Rudy always had an influence on people's lives. Rudy lived on suburban Long Island with his wife and kids. As a young man he decided to serve his community and joined the East Meadow Volunteer Fire Department. There he rose through the ranks and gained the respect of all he worked with. He became an EMT and started his career with the New York City Emergency Medical Service where he worked in Brooklyn and later at the EMS academy. He also was a well-respected assistant chief fire instructor at the Nassau County Fire Service Academy. It is because of Rudy's passion to share his knowledge and the way he could break down a skill or explain a difficult topic that got many students through the arduous process of EMS and/or Firefighter certification. Each student was important, every question was a challenge, and there was no way you were getting away until he was sure you knew the material. Quality was always his hallmark. Rudy had a way of teaching that was like no other. He enjoyed his work and made it fun for everyone, although sometimes his methods seemed unorthodox. His students were his team. When a teammate didn't get something, he showed them. When a student asked why there were "no smoking" signs in the ambulances, he had the student light a cigarette and proceeded to attach it to a piece of oxygen tubing. When he turned on the flow of oxygen the cigarette exploded. "That's why," was Rudy's reply. Rudy responded with many of his coworkers and students, both fire and EMS, to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. He spent many long hours in the rescue and recovery effort. As many of his fellow rescuers, Rudy fell ill from the exposure of numerous unknown toxins at the site. Rudy succumbed to cancer on July 9, 2013.Rudy continues to make a difference and to touch people's lives daily even after he is gone, as the many certified first responders, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics he taught continue to provide pre-hospital patient care and save lives. His selfless commitment, enthusiasm and dedication to pre-hospital care, firefighting, and education will continue to carry on his legacy and to touch the lives of many for a long time to come. |