NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Firefighters paid tribute to one of their own during a solemn ceremony Friday morning as bunting was draped at a Queens firehouse in honor of 33-year-old Jesse Gerhard, who died this week a day after battling a house fire in Far Rockaway.
Gerhard, a seven-year veteran of the FDNY, was on-duty at his firehouse at 11 p.m. Wednesday when he suffered a sudden medical episode and collapsed, about 24-hours after battling a hot and smoky two-alarm house fire on Beach Channel Drive, near Hartman Lane.
Gerhard was rushed to St. John's Episcopal Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The cause of his death has yet to be determined.
On Friday morning, dozens of firefighters stood at attention as an American flag was lowered to half-staff and black-and-purple bunting was hung over the three bay doors at Ladder Company 134 in Far Rockaway.
Gerhard's family were also in attendance and clung to each other during the somber ceremony.
"He was just a gentle, gentle guy. We all loved him. He worked hard, he loved being a fireman, the guy lived and breathe being a fireman," said close friend and firefighter Carl Kretkowski. "We all had fun with him, just made a friendship, a bond with all of us here that will never be broken and just rest easy my man, cause we'll take it from here."
On Thursday night, FDNY members saluted Gerhard during his dignified transfer to a local hospital, where he will continue to save the lives of strangers as an organ donor.
"LiveOnNY, the federally designated organ procurement organization for the New York metro region worked with the family of firefighter Jesse Gerhard, the FDNY and our hospital partners to honor the precious gift of tissue donation given to the community by another fallen hero in New York," said Leonard Achan RN, MA, ANP, President and CEO of LiveOnNY.
"We can now confirm that this generous gift could change the lives of as many as 50 to 75 people including those in need of the gift of sight as well as burn victims, dialysis patients, patients with musculoskeletal conditions," Achan added. "Firefighter Jesse Gerhard joins the growing list of thousands of NY organ and tissue donor heroes who will live on through their generosity to help others live on."
Gerhard, who was also a volunteer firefighter in Islip, is survived by his parents, his brother and sister-in-law. He is the 1,156th member of the FDNY to die in the line of duty.
The cause of Tuesday's fire was determined to be accidental, caused by electrical wiring in the basement which spread to combustible materials stored in the basement, according to fire marshals.
Gerhard was part of a team that forces entry and immediately searches for victims. FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens called it among the “most strenuous” of all the positions firefighters work.
“He worked through the fire, he was relieved,” Hodgens said. “We really don’t know what happened at this time but we’re investigating all possibilities.”
Funeral services are being planned.
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