Double LODD in Toledo, 1/26/14 (more)

Dan McInerney photo

Dan McInerney photo

Dan McInerney photo

Also from Dan, here’s the service program.

Drew Smith found this editorial piece from the Toledo Free Press that was published before the funerals:

Ever since the first snowfall hit and Northwest Ohio was buried under almost two feet of snow, this winter has felt different. In recent years, we've experienced relatively mild winters, especially considering where we live and our history. When the near-blizzard of 2014 struck, I saw family members of local firefighters and police officers posting on social media about how dangerous their loved ones’ jobs had become.

While we were all safe and warm under a level 3 snow emergency, these men and women were out there, facing the cold and danger. Police were driving on icy roads, rescuing drivers who shouldn't have left their homes but needed to pick up something quick from the mall. Firefighters had an increased number of calls—from health-related emergencies to electric heaters catching fire. All this was happening while Facebook posts showed people doing water-based experiments to demonstrate just how cold it was. We were amazed, but few of us thought about those who had to use water in these conditions to save lives or structures.

The events of January 26 made this winter unbearable.

There's something about my West Side neighborhood that seems to produce a lot of teachers, police officers, and firefighters. One of my classmates lost her husband and the father of her children when TPD Detective Keith Dressel was killed in 2007. I remember how shocked I was when I recognized her face on TV, how it hit me hard and brought tears to my eyes. This wasn’t in New York or Chicago—it was right here in Toledo. I thought about her son and daughter and how their lives were forever changed by their father’s heroism and the coward who took his life.

My Sunday was filled with comfort—wine, a fire, and good TV. My phone was full of unanswered texts from friends letting me know what had happened and asking if I knew any of the firefighters who had been lost. I had no idea. I reached out to friends and family who love a firefighter. The first name I heard was Machcinski, and my heart stopped. Everyone in Toledo knows a Machcinski; Steve and I went to Whitmer together.

The second name came with a story that made it worse. The other firefighter, James Dickman, was new to the Toledo Fire Department and a new father. How proud he must have been, having worked so hard to achieve his dream. His future was as bright as the flames he would soon be facing—flames that would extinguish his life in an instant.

I realized that new faces would join Danielle Dressel and her children. That two more families had lost sons, brothers, husbands—and in Dickman’s case, fathers. That two men who left for work would never return, all because they wanted to keep us safe while providing for their loved ones.

Yesterday didn’t happen in Detroit or Chicago; it happened on Magnolia Street. We are lucky that this hasn’t happened more often in our area, but our luck ran out yesterday.

Will you please join me? As a sign of respect, love, and gratitude for the two lives lost and those who survived, I think we Toledoans should line the streets of the funeral processions and say our goodbyes and thanks to the fallen heroes and their families. Let’s show these grieving families that their sacrifices will not be forgotten and that these names will be remembered. Let’s remind the world that we appreciate and love those who carry ladders and hoses, or guns, for our safety. Let’s teach our children what a real superhero looks like and what the noblest jobs are.

It may be -50 degrees outside when these fallen heroes pass by for the last time, but the weather should not stop you. It didn’t stop them when they faced the fire. It will once again remind the world of the strength and heart we have. On our coldest day in recent decades, let’s give warmth to those who need it most.

If your heart isn’t broken or heavy, then you probably aren’t from the 419. We all complain about how bad this winter is, but 99% of us have no idea how cold and dangerous it has been.

To the grieving families and brothers and sisters of the Toledo Fire Department: I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. These lives will not be forgotten.