NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Frederick D. Whiteside, who worked as a FDNY EMT for 22 years, was honored by the department in a plaque dedication on Saturday, just over one year after he suffered a fatal heart attack while on duty.
On Nov. 17, 2023, Whiteside was working at a New York City 911 dispatch center in the Bronx when he went into cardiac arrest. He was 43 years old.
“Together, we gather to salute a man who loved working for the FDNY and who joined the Department just seven months after September 11th,” FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said.
Whiteside joined the FDNY on April 19, 2022, and spent his career working with EMS in Brooklyn and the Bronx. He moved to dispatch in 2019.
“Today, as we place a plaque on the wall in his honor, let us remember how Frederick connected with patients and with the EMTs who he was guiding in dispatch,” Tucker said. “Let us forge connections as he did when handling calls, treating patients and dealing with each other. When we pass this plaque, let us remember that he was [a] leader and aspire to be more like him.”
At Saturday’s ceremony, Whiteside’s mother Audrey Felton read a poem to honor her late son.
“He was dedicated, committed, while working for FDNY,” she said. “He was selfless, and giving, and sensitive at times. My hope for you, Frederick, has come true. I am so blessed and so proud of you.”
Whitestone became the 1,160th member of the FDNY to die in the line of duty.
“[Whitestone] had the skills we look for in all members: empathy, compassion, bravery and selflessness,” Chief of Department John Esposito said. “He was a great mentor to the next generation of our medical professionals and made sure he passed down his knowledge and experience to others.”