What you should know
- Friends and loved ones gather to say a final goodbye to a New York City firefighter who collapsed at his firehouse a day after battling a fire in Queens.
- The funeral service for firefighter Jesse B. Gerhard, 33, begins Wednesday at noon at St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church in Bay Shore.
- The solemn ceremony comes a day after the seven-year FDNY veteran was mourned at a wake in Islip, his hometown. Mayor Eric Adams is among those expected to deliver remarks.
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NEW YORK — Friends and loved ones gather to say a final goodbye to a New York City firefighter who collapsed at his fire station a day after battling a fire in Queens.
The funeral service for firefighter Jesse B. Gerhard, 33, begins Wednesday at noon at St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church in Bay Shore.
The solemn ceremony comes a day after the seven-year FDNY veteran was mourned at a wake in Islip, his hometown. Mayor Eric Adams is among those expected to deliver remarks.
Gerhard died Feb. 16 after responding to a two-alarm fire in Queens the day before, Acting FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said. He had been working at a fire station in Far Rockaway when he suddenly collapsed. He later he died in a hospital.
Despite earlier reports that he had suffered a heart attack, Kavanagh said Gerhard’s cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
The New York City medical examiner’s office told Newsday an initial examination of Gerhard was conducted, but did not say if there were any preliminary findings. It is expected to be a few weeks before the full autopsy is complete.
Gerhard, a former emergency medical technician, was first appointed as a probationary firefighter in December 2017. He became the 1,156th FDNY member to die on duty. The Long Beach resident is survived by his parents, his brother and his sister-in-law.
FDNY officials said he continued to save lives even after his death as an organ donor.
According to the department, last week’s fire at the three-story house was brought under control in about two hours, and four people were slightly injured.
Gerhard had been tasked with forcing the doors open in order to gain access to the structure and any interior search areas.
The FDNY medical office, along with a board of city doctors, will examine the circumstances leading to Gerhard’s death and the nature of the fire he was fighting, to determine if the death will be considered line of duty, Barry Salzman, an attorney whose firm represents the families of the slain police officers and firefighters, he told Newsday.
A formal determination that the death was in the line of duty unlocks increased health and monetary benefits for a firefighter’s family. A team of specialists and attorneys also reviews a firefighter’s death to determine if the family is eligible for a one-time federal death benefit, the newspaper reported.
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