A LIFETIME OF SERVICE TO MASSACHUSETTS

Worcester Fire

On Friday night, December 3, 1999 the Worcester Cold Storage building caught fire when some homeless people living in the building knocked over a candle.  The fire consumed the building which was solid brick with no ventilation and turned the building into a furnace.  A witness thought people were trapped in the building and Worcester Fire sent in some of their best.  Six firefighters did not return.  The fire burned on for days.  The firefighters’ remains were recovered, some in ashes.  Senator Kennedy had a person on the scene from early Saturday morning and we began working with the firefighters’ union and Congressman McGovern’s office to establish relief funds for the families left behind as well as planning a memorial service, that until September 11th, was one of the biggest gatherings of fire fighters at one location. 

The following Thursday, December 9th, along with President Clinton, Vice President Gore, Congressman McGovern, Governor Cellucci, Senator Kerry and thousands of mourners and an estimated 100,000 visiting firefighters from around the world, Senator Kennedy participated in the memorial service, delivering one of the more memorable speeches in firefighter history.  In fact, the poem that he closed his speech with – the Firefighters Prayer/Poem – is now hanging in every fire house in Massachusetts (something the Senator sent to every chief) and upon retirement from fire squads men are presented with a copy.  The prayer/poem was anonymous and few had heard it before.