Lt. Ed Walsh and Firefighter Michael Kennedy remembered 10 years after the Back Bay fire
The historic Engine 33, Ladder 15 firehouse located on Boylston Street in Boston was filled on Tuesday to remember the sacrifice that Lt. Ed Walsh, 43, and Firefighter Michael Kennedy, 33, made when they died heroes in a Back Bay fire on March 26, 2014.
“As firefighters, we know the inherent risk of our profession. Lieutenant Walsh and Firefighter Kennedy did not hesitate to take that risk 10 years ago. For that we are eternally grateful,” said Boston Fire Commissioner Paul Burke.
Walsh and Kennedy were part of Engine 33/Ladder 15 when they responded to a call for a fire at 298 Beacon Street in 2014 and never returned. Family, friends, and fellow firefighters gathered Tuesday to share their memories of Walsh and Kennedy, including Walsh’s wife, Kristen.
“He wanted to be at a busy firehouse, where he could make the most difference for the city that he loved, and for the department he was so proud of,” Walsh said about her husband.
Ed Walsh was remembered as a family man from a family of firefighters and a father of three children who are now teens. His family created a foundation, The Ed Walsh Foundation to support his love for community and helping families. “Most days I look at the kids and it’s gone by in the blink of an eye. I would not be here today without all the family, the friends, the people at the firehouse, the teachers, the coaches, the neighbors…” Kristen Walsh said. “That has kept us going, and helped us spread Ed’s passion, his generosity, his kindness.”
“Every firefighter is a hero, they don’t have to die to be a hero, and they shouldn’t have to die…” Kathy Crosby-Bell said. Crosby-Bell is Michael Kennedy’s mother. Kennedy was a Marine and worked with the Big Brother, Big Sister organization. His mother has turned her grief into her life’s mission, as she created The Last Call Foundation in honor of her son.
“They shouldn’t have to die because somebody started a fire with a torch,” Crosby-Bell said. A decade ago, that 9-alarm fire was started by a welding torch and the fire grew due to high winds. The firehose Kennedy and Walsh were using burned through due to the intensity of the flames. The Last Call Foundation has since helped to fundraise to get burn-resistant firehoses to every firehouse in Boston.
Though ten years have passed, Walsh and Kennedy’s brother firefighters believe the lessons of that day and the bravery of the two heroes should never be forgotten. “If you do the math that’s almost half of the department has almost no connection to this day,” said Boston Fire Captain Kenny Hayes, “Having the hose because of the Last Call Foundation is a way for that new guy on his first day to understand why they have that hose, to tell the story.”
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