Firefighter cherishes last hug from partner

MARY ANNE MAGIERA
Reprinted with Permission, Telegram & Gazette

WORCESTER -- Tears welled in Firefighter Joseph F. LeBlanc's dark eyes. He raised his voice to mask his discomfort.

As incongruous as the tears was the emerald bead tucked into the hair behind the big man's right ear.

“I wore it for my partner,” Firefighter LeBlanc said, referring to Paul A. Brotherton, one of the six firefighters killed in the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. building.

Firefighter LeBlanc and Firefighter Brotherton worked on the Rescue 1 truck.

“We had a love-hate relationship. We would horse around and tease each other constantly. He was very close to me,” Firefighter LeBlanc said.

Firefighter LeBlanc was closing out a three-week vacation in Antigua the night his partner lost his life. He had planned to wear the beaded hair accessory on Dec. 7, his first day back.

Firefighter LeBlanc said that he was the older of the partners.

“Paul confided in me and I helped him out with a few things,” he said. “So before I left, I made a point of telling him that he was really doing a great job.

“You know, he put his hand on my shoulder, and then on my chest. Then, he hugged and kissed me. He said, 'Joe, I love you like a brother; I love you like a father.' That was the last time I saw him.”

The station where Firefighter LeBlanc and Firefighter Brotherton worked together was different yesterday. A wooden picnic table where firefighters usually gather was strewn with photos and mementos of Firefighter Brotherton and Firefighter Jeremiah M. Lucey, a member of Rescue 1 who also lost his life.

There were poems of tribute from Worcester schoolchildren on the table. Many city residents had left notes and floral bouquets.

A ladder truck from North Reading was in the bay where Rescue 1 usually sits. A firefighting crew from North Reading was one of several from throughout the state that provided coverage in Worcester fire stations during the procession and memorial service.

Although they were strangers to Worcester, the firefighters' uniform training and experiences made it easy for this group to step in to help their brothers here.

“It's a sad moment. It makes you think about yourself,” said North Reading Firefighter Andrew P. Nichols.

“Something sudden can always happen, but you never think it's going to be you.”

Firefighter Nichols stood in glum silence with his colleagues on top of a truck from Marblehead, watching the memorial procession for almost 90 minutes before stepping down for an emotional breather.

“It's an awesome tribute. It makes me want to go home and hug my kids,“ Firefighter Nichols said. He has two sons, Brandon, 2, and Spencer, 6.

Two women stood on a barrel planter, leaning against the corner of Central Station. Strangers as the first division of firefighters passed, they shared a common grief before the last one completed the procession route, well after noon.

“This tribute is wonderful, but sad to see,” Madeline C. Martin said.