Fire Chief Tim Butler

Fire Chief Tim Butler
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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

REMEMBERING FIREFIGHTER RAY HAIN

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of a Saint Paul Fire Department line-of-duty death.

On November 14, 2009 Saint Paul Firefighter Ramon “Ray” Hain passed away from complications of an on-duty blood borne pathogen infection.

Ray joined the Department in 1994. He was a talented and enthusiastic Firefighter and a self-professed adrenaline junkie. He was also a talented EMT and a most caring and compassionate care giver. On November 24, 1996, while performing CPR on a patient, he knelt in some of the patient’s bodily fluids. The fluids seeped into an open wound on Ray’s knee, and he developed a massive infection in his leg a few days later. He subsequently was diagnosed with a viral infection that attacked and weakened his heart. Being young and strong and a good candidate for a heart transplant procedure, he was put on the transplant list, and on November 30, 1998, he underwent a heart transplant. Doctors anticipated the transplant would give Ray 10 more years of life.

Although his hope – and ours – was that he would see a return to full duty on the Department, that dream remained unfulfilled. He retired in 2000 to focus on his recovery and spending time with his wife, Gail, and their two daughters, Rachel and Sara. He became the “stay-at-home-Dad,” and was very active in the school activities of the two girls. He was also a talented and creative woodworker.

In 2009, Ray became increasingly sick due to the deterioration of the transplanted heart. It was not an unexpected process – the heart was just wearing out, as the doctors and Ray had known that it eventually would. On November 14, 2009, Ray passed away peacefully at the age of 50.

At 0800 hours this morning, Saint Paul Fire Department members will pause for a moment of silence to honor the memory of Firefighter Ramon E. Hain and all 61 members of the Saint Paul Fire Department who have given their life in the service of this Department and the Citizens of Saint Paul. Please feel entirely free to join us from wherever you may be.

Rest in Peace, Ray. Thank you for the ultimate sacrifice while serving your fellow man.

tim

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for remembering. We pray for all firefighters to stay healthy and to come home alive. Peace.
    Gail, Rachel & Sara Hain

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  2. Thank you for remembering Ray in this special manner. Ray's entire family misses him dearly. We all pray for each and every member of the fire department to go home safe and sound at the end of each shift. God speed to all members of the fire service.

    Norb & Sherry (Hain) Duval (Ray's sister)

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