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twittermemorial:
Firefighters bid farewell to fallen comrade
Henderson firefighter died of melanoma cancer at age 57
Stephen R. Sylvanie/Special to the Home News
A motor procession of more than 50 fire, police and rescue vehicles from throughout the Las Vegas Valley and Boulder City slowly makes its way along Boulder Highway in honor of 20-year veteran Henderson firefighter Jeff Mann on Wednesday.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009 | 4:01 p.m.
Firefighters Say Goodbye
The Henderson Fire Department and citizens of Henderson bade farewell to firefighter Jeff Mann, who died Feb. 27 of cancer.
Jeff Mann
This is how firefighters say goodbye to one of their own:
Outside the church where he is to be remembered, they hang a 60-foot American flag from the extended booms of ladder trucks.
They turn out by the hundreds to walk three-quarters of a mile to the church, their badges shrouded and their heads bowed.
They nod their heads when his battalion chief calls the firefighter the toughest among them, and they swallow the lump in their throat and hold back tears when the battalion chief's voice cracks just a little.
This is how the Henderson Fire Department bade farewell to firefighter Jeff Mann today.
They followed centuries-old traditions as they took his body in a motorcade from Palm Mortuary on Boulder Highway past his Station 82 on Parkson Road to a fire station three blocks from Arrowhead Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The fire engine that Mann rode until Feb. 2, his last day of work before an aggressive melanoma cancer was discovered, carried his flag-covered coffin. The 10-person crew he worked with day in and day out walked beside the engine as it rolled slowly to the church, leading a block-long column of family members, firefighters in dress uniforms and honor guards representing area police and fire departments.
Mann died Feb. 27 at the age of 57. He left behind his wife, Patrice, nine children and stepchildren and 24 grandchildren.
The procession walked underneath the flag, draped from booms 100 feet in the air, and into the church parking lot, where fellow firefighters greeted it with solemn salutes as it wended its way through. The taps of honor guard shoes accented the soft, unison steps of the firefighters as they marched.
"This is a very traditional tribute," Fire Chief Doug Stevens said. "We're a very traditional bunch in the fire service. The values in the community may go up and down, but our culture is resilient. We're here to serve the public with honor and integrity, and Jeff was a great example of that."
Mann's crew — people his wife said had been by his side through his three-week battle for life — removed his coffin from the engine and accompanied it inside the church, walking between two rows of saluting firefighters from the engine to the church door.
"It's devastating" to lose an active-duty colleague, Station 82 Battalion Chief Shawn White said. "These are people we live one-third of our lives with. It's the uniqueness of the job — you get to know the people, their wives and families."
Station 82 Battalion Chief Tim Veit, Mann's supervisor, spoke for his department as he eulogized the man who had been his mentor 17 years ago, when Veit joined the department.
"Jeff is the toughest man I know," he told the crowd of almost 1,000. "And any of you sitting by a firefighter can probably see their heads nodding right now."
After eulogies, hymns and prayers, the honor guard led the procession out of the church and back to the engine, which carried Mann's coffin to the procession's starting point, Palm Mortuary.
There, the Air Force veteran, who was proud of his service with the Thunderbirds demonstration team, received military honors during his burial.
There, he also received the final tribute of his department: The flag on his coffin was presented to his wife and a fire bell was rung for him one final time.
Jean Reid Norman can be reached at 990-2658 or jean.norman@hbcpub.com.
Discussion: 19 comments so far…
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I am one of Jeff Manns grandchildren and I think this was an amazing tribute to him.
Thanks to everyone who showed their love and support to us.
Comment removed by staff.
And who the heck paid for all that - I sure hope all them guys were there on their day off, Or was that the publics million dollar overtime bill? And that picture tells me that about 100 million dollars of equipment has nothing better to do. I know when their is a special event any you need police of fire present, you have to pay for it. I wonder if they had to pay for this?
No disrespect intended, but when people pass away that i know I normally grieve and attend their funeral, But I would be offended if I got the bill.
No overtime was paid to specifically attend this event. It was voluntary by all people/agencies attending. Other agencies also volunteered to cover areas for the equipment that were present.
Thank you for your concern.
There are cities in America that have decade or even century old traditions that honor the fallen. Great cities/places such as Boston, Chicago, New Orleans and less we forget the great battle fields in the North and South. Our military has deep traditions that are presented every day to honor the fallen, the heroes and the respected. It saddens me that Southern Nevada has never embraced the traditions of the old and appear to be to busy guarding their money or to PC minded to do so. It always seems that commentary is made about cost. Well, ask your self if city/county leaders would approve of such spending for an event like that.
There are those that do have a sense of tradition, honor and integrity that manifest every day. These are your public safety workers that do not often get to grieve after a bad call, a bad day, or a bad month. They do their duty every day to serve and protect, so that the public can continue on with the day without worry until 911 is called. That is when your "Public Servants" bring calm to "your" chaos. Embrace a tradition of the old and let the "Public Servant" mourn for a day. Be glad that these fine people have embraced a tradition that Southern Nevada hopefully will rarely see. Maybe some day, Southern Nevada will embrace the traditions of our great and diverse valley like the old cities of America.
To add and reiterate the comments posted by TMW in response to TBVEGAS's lack of knowledge, I'd like to add the following:
1. This was a LINE OF DUTY DEATH funeral and is taken with the utmost respect and tradition. There were firefighters from the entire valley and others from out of state who spent half of their DAY OFF to march and attend the funeral of a fallen brother. Those from his own Fire Department who were on duty were graciously covered by other firefighters from other departments in the valley FREE to the taxpayer. This is a common courtesy among Fire Departments.
2. The Engines who were involved in the procession were covered by other engines from around the valley with no overtime expense. This is also a common courtesy when a firefighter DIES IN THE LINE OF DUTY.
3. You may want to do a little more research on your special event comments. Many Fire Departments in this valley and around the country provide an engine, truck, rescue, etc to special events when requested in the appropriate manner. Where the heck did you ever get that idea?
4. Honor Guard members from the Fire Department, Police Department, and Armed Forces VOLUNTEERED their precious time for one or more days to pay respect to a man who dedicated much of his life to helping others in need.
5. Before you decide to complain about things you are not fully aware of, do a little more research on your topic of conversation. Have a little more respect for the integrity and tradition of the Fire Service.
Thank you
To the individual who has the audacity to ask of the cost...stop. This man dedicated his life to the protection of yours in both the military and the Fire Department. I am apalled that someone has the nerve to question a celebration of this man's life. A man who would never question your emergency and who would only live to serve others. Please refrain from making such ludicrous remarks about those who serve you and place their lives on the line for you.
My condolences to the family of Jeff Mann as well as the men and women of the Henderson Fire Department and the community they serve.
I am a police officer in Rhode Island and unfortunately have had the opportunity to attend numerous funerals and wakes for firefighters and police officers, uncluding one from my own department who was killed in the line of duty. Both police officers and firefighters have countless members who serve their community day in and day out 24/7 with little recognition. That being said I was completely appalled to see the posting by "tbvegas" asking "Who the heck paid for all that?". We pay for "all that" everyday by unselfishly serving our respective communities. There is a long tradition of police and fire departments giving their fallen comrades a wonderful sending off when they die. Members of the community line the streets, fellow officers march side by side, and you would be hard pressed to see a dry eye anywhere. This is our way of honoring our dead and mourning their loss. Other departments from neighboring communities will cover the city during the funeral so it still remains safe and that will be reciprocated in their time of need, no questions asked.
As for being paid - I can speak for any police officer or firefighter anywhere and say that none of us would take pay to attend a friends funeral. As for the question "I wonder if they had to pay for this?". Yes they did, but not with money, but with heavy hearts. They'll be paying everytime they get in that engine without Firefighter Jeff Mann beside them.
No one should EVER disrespect a Fireman - they put their very lives on the line every time they show up for work - shame on anyone who is concerned about the cost - with all the waste going on for countless other things I wouldn't lose any sleep over the cost of this funeral. My condolences to the family.
firelg75 -- "1. This was a LINE OF DUTY DEATH funeral ..."
Subheading -- "Henderson firefighter died of melanoma cancer at age 57"
Who needs to "do a little more research on your topic of conversation"?
Killer B, I see that your first post was removed and I'm not surprised. Before I make any type of comments, I ALWAYS do my research.
This funeral in fact was a line of duty death funeral. The cancer that this firefighter contracted was proven to be from EXPOSURE on the job. Not only did he have melanoma, but he also had multi-system cancer and died within 4 weeks of finding out.
Had you attended this man's funeral, you would have known the FACTS. They were discussed during the eulogy by one of the Fire Chiefs.
Jeff Mann was my step-father and I myself am in law enforcement. I don't want to acknowledge some of the ridiculous comments posted earlier, but instead thank the Henderson Fire Department for being there for us in our time of need. Jeff's friends and brothers at the HFD also honored Jeff by coordinating the most amazing services. On behalf of my family (especially my mother) I want to thank the HFD who were also trying to grieve as they were there for us. Firefighters and Police Officers are often times scrutinized and underappreciated throughout their careers. Jeff served our country and our community as selflessly as I have ever seen.
Comment removed by staff.
I checked with Henderson Fire Chief Douglas Stevens, and he says the city did not incur any funeral costs. No overtime was paid. Most firefighters present took personal time off, but those who were on duty were covered by units from Las Vegas, Clark County and other area departments. Those stations had enough units on duty on that daytime shift to lend, according to a Las Vegas Fire & Rescue captain I talked to at Mann's station. His five-man crew was covering for Mann's crew. Medic West Ambulance Company covered all paramedic calls, the fire chief said.
Stevens said in an e-mail: "The services were traditional and customary in the fire service, given that Jeff was an active duty Fire Fighter who died from cancer. I would venture to say that most departments in the country would have paid tribute in the same manner."
The "quotes" here are wonderful. First and foremost the official cause of death was melanoma. He did receive a tribute in proportion of "killed in the line of duty." Call any major PD or FD and ask their policy...if they didn't die as a result of killed in the line of duty, you get an honor guard type of funeral and that's about it. Covering of shifts from other departments is extended and granted for in the line of duty type of funerals. I would like to see all the PTO slips to confirm Ms. Norman's response. Who paid for all the gas for all those vehicles. Did any calls for police, fire or ambulance suffer as a result from not having enough staffing on..were calls answered in a timely manner that day? The general public would expect those types of things to happen if the officer was killed in the line of duty...in fact they donate monies and food and anything asked of them...but if it was a normal cause of death...it happens to all us at sometime. Being a public servant(police/fire) also has it advantages...normally not laid off, great pay and benefits, retirement plans don't all of sudden disappear, nice vacation time off, PTO, sick time so another words JOB SECURITY....You chose that profession for all of those reasons...if it your time to go, it is your time to go...period.
Looking over firelg75 posts, be sure you have your facts straight on honor guards. This is normally a very prestigous position and your chosen to be on it, it is not a voluntary position. These members are paid to do what they do for funerals and travel at the expense of their own departments and work funerals for many days, paid, not for free. Officers who travel miles for out of state funerals, they're also paid to do so for "in the line of duty" funerals. And you may have not put in a PTO (Paid Time Off..still paid) slip as it was your day off, but other members who had a normal work day attended and were paid to attend and those vehicles you drove aren't yours, they're the city/state property so the gas and insurance for that day wasn't free either. Bottom line, it wasn't a "free" funeral to the taxpayer. And who paid for the planes who flew overhead...you?
Oh you can not be serious. First off the "planes" were mercyair helicopters, almost like a private ambulance in the air....The county and city covering each station did not drop the response times in a way that would not be considered timely...it is no different then if an engine company was to go do training or community activites. There was no PTO. Everyone in a fire uniform was off of work that day. The city,county, and NLV firefigthers there were not on duty, and neither was Henderson that day. Jeff Man was a public servant who you didn't even concern yourself with untill he was gone, and the way you are acting is just disguisting
I am sorry people are offended for the public to ask questions regarding the costs of the funeral. It isn't personal to Jeff Mann or his family. The public has every right to ask questions and it is their civic duty to do so, as it is called checks and balances. Again, the public could care in the least the costs involved in any "in the line of duty" incident. And any "honor guard" involvement in any type of funeral, again the public doesn't care. If you're a "public servant" and you're offended by being questioned, then go work in the private sector for a company that isn't publicly traded on the stock exchange, because their questioned about every single penny spent by their share holders and are held accountable for everything, and do not have any type of job security and are just as dedicated to their professions as some of you.
Just because Jeff didn't die in a fire, doesn't mean he didn't deserve services of this magnitude. Sure, government employees (especially police and fire) receive good pay and benefits. Do you go to work each day wondering if you are going to come home? Are you put in perilous situations where split decisions can determine life or death for yourself and others? Are you public scrutnized for everyone decision that you make at work? The public does have the right to ask questions beretta13. You can attempt to down play your offensive comments by stating that you're simply asking questions. The truth is that you sit at your computer acting like you're Anderson Cooper while thousands of police officers and fire fighters are saving lives, removing injuried people from accidents and fires, running into burning buildings, or being shot at. Jeff served his country and his community for many years. The city of Henderson shouldn't have to explain to you how they choose to honor an employee who died while working for them. Maybe you should have just been one of thousands who saluted and waived to the family during the procession instead of questioning trivial costs such as fuel. Police officers and fire fighters have "job security" because they care and because few people can adequately do these jobs. It's not just about dedication, it's about something you will never have beretta13: COURAGE.....