Family of fallen firefighter: Thank you (01/30/07)

To the editor:

Most of you know by now that on Jan. 5 we lost our son, brother, brother-in-law and uncle, Sidney Hall. We are not writing to re-tell the events as they happened, but to tell you about the events you may not have heard.

We will begin by sharing what we experienced starting Wednesday evening at Parkview Hospital. Bruce Howard, an Upland firefighter, drove Sid's wife and son to the hospital as he was being airlifted by helicopter. Bruce stayed with us throughout the night and the next day.

As we sat in the trauma unit waiting room, a group of five or six firefighters from Fort Wayne approached us. While we talked we discovered that they had been to each of the Fort Wayne hospitals for the past two hours in search of an injured firefighter. They simply wanted to offer their assistance to the family in any way needed. The entire crew stayed with us for over an hour, listening to us or swapping stories with Rob and Art.

The following morning another firefighter from Fort Wayne came and said he had just heard about our situation and wanted to offer his assistance. He came back to check on us later that morning.

The two paramedics who flew Sid to the hospital stopped to express their concern and to check on his condition. A crew from another station stopped later that afternoon. We were totally amazed at the outpouring of concern for someone they didn't even know. You hear about the brotherhood of firefighters, but we experienced it.

The Upland firemen have become family to us. We can't even begin to thank each of them for their part in the planning and execution of the service being done in honor of their fallen brother. Chief Brian Holzlieter, Bruce Howard and Mike Howard spent countless hours throughout the week before the funeral making arrangements for the tribute to be given the following weekend. They patiently answered our questions, offered suggestions, and always kept the family's wishes at the forefront. They opened their doors and their hearts and took us under their wings. A book would need to be written in order to include everything that was done for us.

The Portland Fire Department is not to be left out, either. They played an impressive part in their service at Green Park Cemetery by providing a ladder truck along with Winchester to create an arch with an American flag hanging from them for the procession to pass under as they entered the cemetery.

We would like to thank Jeff Upp and Dave Teeter for helping direct the numerous fire trucks at the cemetery. Your patience and help were greatly appreciated. To each of you, the community of Portland, thank you for the many cards that were sent, meals brought to us, phone calls, hugs, prayers said on our behalf, and donations made to the Sidney Hall Memorial Scholarship fund. Your support and our faith in God gave us the ability to deal with it all.

It is difficult to put into words to express how each person involved has impacted our lives. Undoubtedly, we have left out names of those who helped in big and small ways to pull this off.

Sid may not have been large in stature, but he left some pretty big shoes to fill. So the next time you see a firefighter, a policeman or a paramedic, please thank them for the risks they take each time they leave their home. They will always remain heroes in our eyes.

Bonita Frazee and the family of Sidney Hall[[In-content Ad]]