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Firefighters prepare for tragedy

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Paul Yakowenko

ELKHORN — No one remembers if a Walworth County firefighter has ever died in the line of duty.

But if it ever does happen, fire officials want to be prepared.

“Too often, we get caught off guard,” said Paul Yakowenko, president of the Walworth County Firefighters Association. “So we figured it would be a good idea to be proactive.”

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has taken the lead in training fire departments how to handle the aftermath of such a tragedy. Through funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, the foundation has developed a program to assist fire departments.

The Walworth County Firefighters Association will host the program from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 26, at Aurora Lakeland Medical Center, W3985 County NN in Elkhorn.

Yakowenko said the program is open to not only firefighters, but police and other emergency personnel.

A recent mishap during a fire in Delavan Township in which an aerial truck struck a live power line and injured several firefighters reinforced the importance of additional training.

“That could have been really tragic,” Yakowenko said. “It was an eye-opening experience.”

The program, called “Taking Care of Our Own,” is designed to assist senior fire service officers in being better prepared for what could be the worst day in their fire service career.

Parts of the program explain actions to take immediately after a line-of-duty death.

Officials learn how to put together a pre-incident plan for line-of-duty deaths and serious injuries, and how to know what benefits are available to survivors. Those benefits include public safety officers’ benefits and state and local support, according to an outline of the program.

Class participants also discuss ways to support victims’ families immediately after a death, during the funeral planning and service and in the long-term.

The program ends with suggestions on ways to remember a fallen firefighter.

Fire officers who have attended the program say it helped them understand what they need to do and provided resources to create or enhance plans and policies.

The program features first-hand experiences of a chief and a family member whose stories set the stage for the rest of the day.