Emergency Medicine Wall of Honor to pay tribute to fallen firefighters

April 29, 2014 | Events, News, UToday, UTMC
By Aimee Portala



The Emergency Medicine Wall of Honor at The University of Toledo Health Science Campus will add plaques as a tribute to fallen firefighters Pvt. James A. “Jamie” Dickman and Pvt. Stephen A. Machcinski in a private ceremony Wednesday, April 30.

Machcinski, 42, had been with the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department since 1998, for 16 years of service. Dickman, 31, was appointed to the department in September, for six months of service. He previously served with the Sandusky Perkins Fire Department.

Machcinski and Dickman died from injuries incurred while battling a structure fire Jan. 26. Both men were assigned to Engine 3.

They were the 48th and 49th firefighters to die in the line of duty in the 177-year history of the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department, and the first fatalities from an active blaze since 1981.

A plaque for each firefighter will be added to the wall, which is located in the Emergency Department of UT Medical Center near the ambulance entrance.

“In addition to the plaques on the wall of honor, there will be plaques displayed where our paramedic students are taught,” said Dr. Paul Rega, assistant professor in the Department of Public Health and Preventative Medicine and the Department of Emergency Medicine. “It’s a reminder of why they need to learn what they need to learn, who was there before them, and whose shoulders they are standing on.”

UT President Lloyd Jacobs, Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins, Toledo Fire Chief Louis Santiago and Joe Zerbey, president and general manager for The Blade, and chair of the UT Board of Trustees, will be in attendance.

The Emergency Medicine Wall of Honor, made possible through funding from The Blade, was established in 2011 to recognize individual achievement and self-sacrifice in the emergency medical service and emergency medicine communities. Nominations are submitted by community stakeholders and then reviewed by a multidisciplinary selection committee.

“It’s a great way to commemorate doctors, nurses and medics,” Rega said. “These excellent educators and practitioners deserve recognition.”

For more information, contact Rega at paul.rega@utoledo.edu.

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