15 Years Later: The Honor of Being a Worcester Firefighter

Wednesday, December 03, 2014

Patrick Sargent, GoLocal Worcester Contributor

On Friday, December 3, 1999, the Worcester Fire Department lost six of its members in a brutal fire fight at Worcester's Cold Storage building on Franklin Street. On that night, Thomas Spencer, James Lyons and Joseph McGuirk of Worcester, Paul Brotherton of Auburn, Timothy Jackson of Hopedale, and Jeremiah Lucey of Leicester perished bravely attempting to save the lives of two homeless people that were reported being trapped in the building.

Of the six deceased firemen, three would have sons go on to join the Department nearly ten years later. In total, there are six sons of the Worcester Six on the Worcester Fire Department today.

Lasting Impact on Worcester Fire Department's Younger Generation

Fifteen years later, the younger generation reflects on what it means to be a Worcester firefighter today, and how the Cold Storage fire may have influenced their decision to join Worcester's force.

This is the story of that Friday night from the perspective of four young firefighters. Each firefighter chose to not use their last name so as to not breach any union regulations. Here are there stories:

"The night of the fire I was on my way to the movies. My father was actually working that night. We got on I-290 at the bottom of Grafton Street and actually saw the fire and you could feel the heat driving by," said John, a Worcester firefighter whose father is currently a retired firefighter. "After the movie my brother called my mother from a pay phone to see if we could spend the night at a friend's house. She was all panicked because she hadn't heard from my father yet. My friend's mother picked us up and on the way home I remember seeing a Foxborough fire official's car, so I knew it was probably pretty bad. We pulled up in front of my house and there were a bunch of my relatives' cars there. It was a few more hours before my grandfather, who had gone down to the scene, called and told us my father was fine."

"I remember being at home when the fire happened. My brother came home and asked if I saw the huge fire that was going on downtown. I said I hadn't and looked out the window and could see the smoke from my house in Tatnuck Square. I knew that if I could see the smoke it must have been pretty big. I didn't know about the six guys until I saw it in the paper the next morning," said a firefighter, who chose to be called 'K' for the purpose of this story. 'K' has been a firefighter since 2012.

John C., also a firefighter since 2012, said "On December 3, I had gotten out of basketball practice and there was a ton of traffic up by Kelley Square. My dad told me he thought a fire was going on. I recalled I had seen my old classmates dad that morning who was a firefighter. It didn't even cross my mind that he could have been hurt, or worse. He was killed and I called my old classmate a few days after I found out to send my condolences."

Tim, a firefighter since 2008, and whose father is also a retired firefighter, said "I was 16 when the fire happened. I remember just getting my drivers license a few weeks prior to December 3. I can remember driving to the bottom of Grafton Street at the corner of Temple street, which was pretty hard to do, due to all the fire hoses covering the street. Later, when I became a firefighter myself, I learned this was called 'spaghetti'. I can still see the quote on the Grafton Street side of the Cold Storage building. Way up it read "Most cities have one great college, Worcester has ten."

The Aftermath and the Memorial Service at the Centrum

Tim said, "I went with my mother to the Centrum for the memorial. My father sat with the guys, my mother and I sat in the upper deck. Looking down I can remember President Clinton speaking along with other politicians and Union members. The really long line to get into the Centrum was outrageous due to metal detectors and security because the President was there."

Joining President Clinton at the memorial service was Vice President Al Gore, Senator John Kerry, and Senator Ted Kennedy. The Worcester Firefighters were joined by firefighters from all across the United States and Canada and Ireland.

"I remember all weekend rushing to and from the television every time there was more news on the fire. Back then there wasn't "Breaking News" all the time, so when you heard the bulletin your ears perked up a bit more than normal, especially since this hit so close to home. The aftermath was a 'must be informed as soon as possible' kind of deal. The city more or less shut down in my eyes that weekend. On the morning of December 4, I remember former Mayor (Ray) Mariano's speech, "The Sun Didn't Rise in Worcester this Morning." That was the terrible truth. Talking to a girl on the phone she told me there was ash all over her parent's car. I don't remember where she lived, but I always just assumed it was true," said John C.

Mayor Mariano said in his speech, "This morning, the sun didn't rise. It didn't rise because we lost six members of our family."

John said, "I remember all the media coverage. I remember my father would only come home an hour or so at a time and then go right back down there. The biggest thing I remember is the memorial service at the Centrum and just how powerful it was. Seeing the firefighters from around the country was a unique experience. It gave me a greater appreciation for the job."

'K' said, "I remember reading about the six firefighters in the paper but they didn't release any of the names yet. I remember my mother being very upset when she heard the names because she knew one of the guys well. I felt like every person you talked to knew one of the guys or was impacted by the tragedy in some way."

Choosing the Brotherhood

The most recent class of firefighters was sworn in this past June. This is the first class since 2012. John, John C., and 'K' were part of the 2012 class, along with Paul Brotherton's son Steven, and Jon Davies Jr., son of the late Jon Davies, who died in a fire in an apartment building on Arlington Street on December 8, 2011. Jon Sr.'s other son, Mike Davies, is also a Worcester Firefighter.

"I think I learned just how integrated into the community the Fire Service is. It seemed like everyone had a connection to the Department whether it was a sibling, or father, or uncle. Their legacy just makes me appreciate every day I get to go to work and come home. That night they all went to work not thinking anything like that would happen," said John.

"I knew, after the tragedy and the way the community came together to support those guys, I wanted to be a firefighter," said 'K.'

"I knew I wanted to be a firefighter in 2007, and became one in 2012. When my family first heard of my intentions they tried to talk me out of it by specifically citing incidents like December 3. They knew after a while there was no stopping me from pursuing this job and once I got it they've been nothing but proud. I pursued this job not because of any one instance or any one person, I just knew I'd be proud and happy to do it and I was right the whole way," said John C.

Tim adds, "I can't say this occasion influenced me to become a firefighter, however I'm extremely grateful to have what I consider to be the best job in the world."

What It Means to Be a Worcester Firefighter

"It's about having accountability for the guy next to you," said K. "Obviously, since the fire we've had a lot of advances in technology, particularly in finding down firefighters, but in the end it's all about being there for one another. It means a lot. Being able to work with the guys that were there and with a lot of their sons is something I am honored to be able to do. The word tradition is thrown around a lot, but I've never been a part of a tradition quite like the Worcester Fire Department."

"It's an honor," said John. "After the fire, I realized the respect the Department gets throughout the state and even across the country. I'm grateful to work in a city that really appreciates it's firefighters."

John C. said, "The legacy of the Worcester six lives on every day in the Department. We wear the 'W6' on our sweatshirts and the backs of our baseball hats. We remember those men in our hearts and we remember them always at the very least in the back of our minds. In other words, they will never be forgotten. Not by us, not by any citizen of Worcester or any surrounding town for that matter. These six men were fathers, husbands, and all loved the job. I am all three of these things too, and I couldn't be more proud to do what I do, both on and off the trucks."