Good Morning, Everyone.
Today marks the 2nd 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 bloodborne 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 it, 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 58 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.
Respectfully,
Tim Butler
Fire Chief
Fire Chief Tim Butler
Thanks for checking out my web log! My radio call sign in Saint Paul is "Car 1." Join me as we go "On Scene" to the fire stations, training evolutions, emergency incidents, and community events in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Let's share perspectives on the issues facing our Department, our community, and the American Fire Service!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment