Fire Lt. Dies While Battling Bk. Fire
Members of Engine Co. 237 in Bushwick are mourning the loss of one of their ranking officers who died of an apparent heart attack while fighting a three-alarm fire at a local warehouse on Monday afternoon, Apr. 16, it was reported.
Fire Department sources said Lt. Richard A. Nappi-a 17-year veteran who lived in Farmingville, L.I.- went into cardiac arrest while being treated by paramedics for heat exhaustion suffered as he and his fellow firefighters worked to contain the blaze that broke out at 1 p.m. on Monday in the vicinity of Flushing and Evergreen avenues.
According to FDNY sources, the fire started among a pile of cardboard boxes and quickly spread inside the structure. Nappi and other members of Engine 237, whose headquarters are located a short distance away on Morgan Avenue, were among the first units to arrive.
The lieutenant reportedly helped his firefighters stretch a hose line to pour water on the fire on the mezzanine of the warehouse when he became overcome by the heat and collapsed.
According to the Fire Department, members of Ladder Co. 112 used a stretcher to carry Nappi out of the warehouse; at first, the firefighter was alert and talking with his colleagues.
But after being loaded into an ambulance for transportation to a local hospital, authorities said, Nappi lost consciousness. The EMS unit rushed him to nearby Woodhull Hospital Center, where he later died.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano met with members of Nappi’s family at the hospital and addressed the media to announce the lieutenant’s death.
“Outside his family, his life’s work was keeping New Yorkers safe from fires. And by any measure, he succeeded magnificently,” Bloomberg said of Nappi during the press conference.
Regarding the fire, more than 50 Fire Department units responded to the blaze along with the 83rd Precinct and EMS units. Three hose lines were used by firefighters to bring the blaze under control, FDNY sources noted.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
A native of the Bronx and a graduate of Iona college, according to information provided by the Fire Department, Nappi first worked as an officer with the state Division of Pa- role, then later as a case worker with the Suffolk County Department of Social Services.
Nappi became a New York City firefighter in October 1994 and was first assigned to Engine Co. 7 in lower Manhattan. Though he was off duty at the time of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, located close to Engine 7’s headquarters, Nappi was one of the hundreds of firefighters who participated in the rescue and recovery effort at Ground Zero in the months that followed.
In 2003, Nappi was reassigned to Engine Co. 302 in Rochdale Village, then moved to Engine 237 in October 2007 after being promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Outside of his full-time job with the FDNY, he was reportedly a member of the Farmingville Volunteer Fire Department and worked as a deputy chief instructor at the Suffolk County Fire Academy.
Nappi is survived by his wife, Mary Ann, and children Catherine and Nicholas.
A wake for Nappi will be held today, Thursday, Apr. 19, and Friday, Apr. 20, from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. at Maloney’s Funeral Home, located at 132 Ronkonkoma Ave. in Lake Ronkonkoma. A Mass and procession will be held on Saturday, Apr. 21, at 10:30 a.m. at the Church of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, located at 800 Portion Rd. in Lake Ronkonkoma.
The FDNY Foundation announced on Tuesday, Apr. 17, the creation of the Lt. Richard A. Nappi Children’s Education Fund and asked the public for donations. All proceeds will be provided to Nappi’s children and are tax deductible.
To make a donation, send a check or money order to FDNY Foundation, Lieutenant Richard A. Nappi Children’s Education Fund, 9 Metrotech Center, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201.
