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The following editorial was written
by Mr. William J. Lavin, President of
the New Jersey Fireman's Mutual Benevolent
Association (FMBA).
"There Is No Wrong Way To Do The
Right Thing"
No matter what position you take or
what you say publicly you can rest assured
that there will be people ready and
willing to second guess, criticize and
take a completely different stance.
Try as you might to please everyone
(the fire service), without exception
you can count on alienating some and
sometimes many.
Some of the best advice I received
recently was from perhaps one of the
most respected leaders in the fire service,
Dr. Dennis Onieal. At a quick impromptu
meeting Dennis Onieal simply remarked
that "there is no wrong way to
do the right thing", thus the title
of this article. I responded immediately
that his remark sounded like a great
title for an article, not really thinking
I might actually use it.
As I thought more about the statement
it began to make all the more sense.
You see the discussion I had the privilege
of having with Dr. Onieal was at the
recent funeral for Kevin Apuzzio, a
courageous volunteer firefighter who
gave his life in a Franklin Township
house fire while attempting the rescue
of an elderly woman.
The loss of any firefighters' life
is tragic and takes a toll on all who
serve in our profession. To lose a 21
year old man of such quality seemed
absolutely intolerable. Kevin Apuzzio's
tragic death affected the fire service
in New Jersey in many profound ways.
Kevin's age, of course, immediately
saddens the entire community. His ties
to the EMS community, Rutgers University
and certainly the Franklin Township
Volunteer Fire Department provided a
network of friends and emergency responders.
Working around and with the New Brunswick
Fire Department and buffing jobs with
the Jersey City Fire Department also
exposed Kevin to the professional fire
service he was no doubt proud to be
associated with.
Upon hearing the tragic news of Kevin
Apuzzio's line of duty death the fire
service grieved. We did not mourn the
loss of a volunteer or the loss of a
career firefighter, we mourned the loss
of a firefighter; plain and tragic.
Kevin's hometown of Union Township was
chosen as the funeral site. The Union
Township Fire Department was honored
to spearhead the memorial services and
funeral proceedings. Union County fire
departments soon accepted major roles
to provide a farewell befitting such
a hero. Associations career and volunteer,
labor and management, industrial and
municipal, government and civilian,
clergy and layman were all asked to
rally around a department and a community
that had just had its' heart ripped
out.
And with few exceptions the State of
New Jersey and its' Fire Service responded
magnificently. Fire knows no rank, no
affiliation, no color, no creed, no
age, not even the initials worn on the
uniform. Fire kills indiscriminately
and without prejudice. So in honor of
one brave young man and for a family
in unimaginable sorrow, we, the fire
service did not discriminate or show
bias or pull rank. For one week the
fire service came together as one. True,
there were some who second guessed their
own or others involvement, but they
were the exception to the rule, and
it were those few comments that sparked
my conversation with Dr. Onieal.
For me there was no more appropriate
response for or to anyone who participated
in an event that galvanized an industry
for a brief moment. A moment in time
that may lead to a much greater length
of time where the sacrifice of one brave
soul leads to the coming together of
many from different fields of vision
and thought.
New Jersey properly and proudly said
goodbye to a hero, a brother firefighter
who died in the finest tradition of
our profession. I am proud to be a part
of an industry much like a family, albeit
dysfunctional at times, that has proven
we can be above pettiness and parochialism
and support one another in times of
greatest need. I am proud of the relatively
small role FMBA members were privileged
to play, and proud in general to witness
the coming together of a fire service
that just may begin to build more bridges
than we have already burned.
So you see Dr. Dennis Onieal is exactly
right on target, "there is no wrong
way to do the right thing". Remembering
what the right thing is and keeping
that as our priority will continue to
challenge us all. Thank you Firefighter
Apuzzio and may your life and your death
continue to bring us all together.
"Grief drives men into habits
of serious reflection, sharpens the
understanding and softens the heart".
___ John Adams May 6, 1816
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