From the 4th floor… they JUMPED to their death!

I’m not big on anniversaries. I don’t understand em as far as the Fire Service goes. On September 11th we always see “343”, and phrases like “NEVER FORGET”.  Today, January 23, 2012; we will see photos, videos and read about FDNY members  Lt. Joe DiBrnardo, FF. Jeff Cool, FF. Eugene Stolowski,  FF. Brendan Cawley,  Lt. Curtis Meyran and Lt. John Bellew. These are the men who were forced to leap from the 4th floor rather than face certain death while operating at a fire in the Bronx.

Lt. Curtis Meyran and Lt. John Bellew did not survive… THEY DIED. Just a few hours later, a 3rd FDNY member, FF Richard T. Sclafani of Ladder 103 lost his life in a Brooklyn blaze. The Fire Service now remembers that day as ” BLACK SUNDAY”….. it was 7 years ago today.

Like the 343 lost on 9/11, I try to remember these and all the other members lost in the Line of Duty EVERYDAY. I challenge you to do the same. Don’t just remember these brave men today ( because of a 7 year “anniversary” ) remember them tomorrow, the day after that, the next, next and so on.

PLEASE read my 2011 post on BLACK SUNDAY by clicking HERE

The same can be said about the “BROTHERHOOD”. The term is often times thrown around lightly. Many of us talk a good game but when it comes time to act … well, some of us talk a good game.

I have another prime example of that from just today. TODAY .. the 7th anniversary of BLACK SUNDAY. So many visible posts… Face Book comments, Tweets etc. ALL VISIBLE … we can see you.

Rhett and I have teamed up again with Zach Green and MN8-FoxFire (actually, we’ve always been a team … this is simply another venture). Because we’re heading to New York for business next week, we decided to make the trip BIG. The FDNY has lost MANY members. They’ve had had many more hurt or injured.

Still today two of Brooklyn’s Bravest lay recovering from critical, life threatening burns and injuries sustained in a December 19, 2011 Crown Heights fire. Firefighters Weidmann and Gersbeck have a long road to recovery ahead of them.

Zach, Rhett and I came up with a way to support the FDNY Rescue 2 MAYDAY Fund. This fund provides support ( MUCH NEEDED MONEY) to the families of their injured…. THAT’S BROTHERHOOD !

For 1 week ( today -Monday ) MN8-FoxFire will donate 50% of ALL ON-LINE SALES to the Rescue 2 MAYDAY Fund!

We even set it up so you don’t have to make a purchase … simply DONATE through the site. We’ve advertised, commented and posted about it EVERYWHERE and we’ve had a ton of support in doing so. It’s a GREAT cause! Our traffic ( “hits” ) have been VERY good but the donations … not so much.

I’m guessing that maybe it’s because it’s a “secure” site and nobody else can see that you’ve donated? This is not as visible as posting about ” BROTHERHOOD”.

If we had received  .50 cent for every “hit” to the site today, we could have made a huge impact on the MAYDAY Fund… that didn’t happen! I’m shocked and disappointed.

We have the rest of the week remaining and I hope things will pick up. EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS. Gas in the tank for commutes to the hospital … supplement to a lost 2nd income … utility bills …groceries etc. Here’s your chance to truly HELP A BROTHER OUT! Nobody will see or know that you did but … DO IT ANYWAY!

Click HERE to view/purchase MN8-FoxFire  products or to simply DONATE

(Hit the “Click HERE to support…” for the online store, then click the “Today’s Super Deals” box to donate directly)

 Sorry for the “RANT” … this is IMPORTANT!

Stay SAFE and in House!

Captain Wines