FDNY, family of fallen firefighter mourn as purple bunting goes up

Grieving firefighters draped purple and black bunting on Ladder House 170 in Brooklyn on Monday to honor Timothy Klein, the six-year FDNY veteran who was killed a day earlier while battling a house fire in Canarsie. 

Dozens of FDNY members joined Klein’s family and colleagues to watch two firefighters perched at the top of a fire truck ladder hang the bunting outside the firehouse on Rockaway Parkway. Many wiped away tears as they remembered the fallen firefighter who died Sunday at the age of 31. 

“Timmy was an officer’s dream,” said FDNY Capt. Mark Schweighardt, Klein’s commanding officer. “He was the guy you looked to. All the guys in this house and all the women in this house looked to Timmy. We are going to miss him.” 

Added Schweighardt: “We are devastated. We are heartbroken.” 

Klein, a member of the team that operated the nozzle for Ladder Company 170 in Canarsie, was one of four firefighters caught in the partial ceiling collapse Sunday in the Avenue N home. The incident commander had instructed the four to get out after observing suddenly deteriorating conditions and the floor being engulfed in flames.

All the others were able to escape, jumping out of windows or climbing down ladders, FDNY officials said. The FDNY said a total of nine firefighters, including Klein, were injured in the fire. 

An FDNY spokesman said investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the blaze and why the ceiling collapsed. The body of a man who had been previously reported missing was also found at the scene, according to officials. 

Funeral arrangements for Klein are pending, the FDNY said. Klein, from Belle Harbor, Queens, was the son of an FDNY firefighter. Officials said he had a girlfriend and had no children. 

Schweighardt said Klein did charity work on his days off, building ramps for people in wheelchairs. He described him as a dependable and hardworking firefighter who “got things done." 

“In the fire department, we talk about guys who were squared away. Timmy was squared away. He knew his job. He is going to be greatly missed here by the members and now it is our job to honor him and take care of his family,” the FDNY captain said. 

The same firehouse was hit by tragedy three years ago, when FDNY firefighter Steven Pollard fell to his death through a gap between the eastbound and westbound lanes of the Belt Parkway in January 2019 while responding to a car crash. Klein delivered a eulogy at Pollard’s funeral service. 

“It’s a shot to the gut,” Schweighardt said. “These men and women have gone through it before, three years ago. It is a tough thing.” 

Schweighardt said his firefighters will deal with yet another loss by sticking together. “We’re going to get back on those rigs another day, and we’re going to honor Timmy by doing that,” he said. “That is what we do.” 

The New York Police and Fire Widows and Children’s Benefit Fund announced Monday that it will give $50,000 to Klein’s parents. The organization, also known as Answer the Call, was founded in 1985 by Mets star Rusty Staub and has distributed more than $165 million to the families of New York first responders who have died in the line of duty. 

Canarsie residents, meanwhile, flocked to the firehouse to honor Klein’s sacrifice. Dolores Laguerre, a 38-year resident of the neighborhood, brought two candles to Ladder 170. 

“They risk their lives for us,” said Laguerre, 63. “I thank them every day for their hard work. They have our support.” 

Klein was the 1,157th FDNY firefighter to die in the line of duty, officials said. In February, Jesse Gerhard, 33, a Long Beach resident who was assigned to Ladder 134 in Far Rockaway, collapsed inside his firehouse. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Gerhard had responded to a two-alarm fire the day before. 

According to the FDNY, Klein was appointed to the department on Dec. 28, 2015, and after graduating from the fire academy, was assigned to Ladder Company 170.

He is survived by his father, retired FDNY Firefighter Patrick Klein, his mother Diane, and his three sisters, the FDNY said.