I remember the phone call coming into our newsroom. It was from a paramedic friend on the scene of a roaring house fire on Sweet Road in Pompey. We had heard intense chatter on the radio scanners. Then the unofficial word came through that call that firefighters lives were in jeopardy.
I was anchoring the news that night. Our reporter was live on the scene relaying truly dramatic developments as they unfolded. First there was the confirmation that two firefighters were trapped inside. Then the realization they were not coming out alive. Firefighters on the scene formed an impromptu honor guard. Two lines of men in full turnout gear, helmets off and a flag draping the stretcher carrying their firefighting brothers to the ambulance.
The community shared the solemn moment as it unfolded on live television. A processional of emergency vehicles wound its way from the countryside of eastern Onondaga County to downtown Syracuse at the emergency room of Upstate Hospital. Sadly, the medical staff was not needed. It was the coroner and clergy who went to work.
Firefighters John Ginochetti and Timothy Lynch were lost. The next day I recall anchoring our coverage on a brisk breezy day in front of the home that still smoldered. Public remembrances and funerals followed. We carried those on live television too. Especially, the Catholic service at the downtown Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for T.J. Lynch.
An inquiry dug deeply into what went wrong that night. We heard the radio calls played over and over. The investigation revealed confusion over command on the scene. There were questions about whether the local department was in charge of the multiple departments as it should have been. Protocol changes and lawsuits followed.
It's hard to believe ten years has passed. Tonight in Manlius they played taps and laid a wreath vowing to never forget. How could we?
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