Dec. 3, 1999 – Dec. 3, 2009

Ten years seems like such a long time, but in the grand scheme of things it is the blink of an eye. However, if you are a family member of one of the Worcester Firefighters who gave his life on the evening of December 3, 1999, it is a pain you live with everyday.

As we pause to remember Paul Brotherton, Tim Jackson, Jerry Lucy, Jay Lyons, Joe McGuirk and Tommy Spencer, let us also remember the brave men and women of the Worcester Fire Department who protect us every day.

Most of us knew little about those six firefighters before the tragedy, but we came to know them in the days and months that followed.

These brave men initially rushed into an inferno to save what they thought were two homeless people trapped inside. The others went in after to save their fallen comrades.

Worcester mourned for a week. The nation’s eyes turned to our city. President Clinton and Vice President Gore both attended the ceremony at the DCU Center to honor the Fallen Six. Later that day, I accompanied Vice President Gore as he paid a private visit to the fire site. The purpose of the visit was to honor the dead and encourage the firefighters who were still attempting to recover the bodies.

I still have vivid memories of the fire that lit up the city’s skyline, visible for miles around. I remember the long blue line of firefighters marching down Major Taylor Boulevard toward the DCU. They marched under a clear blue sky and a large American Flag held aloft by two ladder trucks. I remember Fire Chief Dennis Budd, proud of his men but with pain evident in his face. But most of all, I remember the haunting strains of “Amazing Grace” played by hundreds of bagpipers. Even today when I hear that song, I think of that day.

I also remember how the people of our city came together to support one another, to acknowledge that we were all touched by the tragedy and needed each other to begin the healing process.

So today as we pause to remember, let us never forget their sacrifice and the sacrifice of countless others who have given their lives so that we may sleep soundly at night.

Paul Giorgio,
Publisher