Secret list honours fallen DC

Still,
watching CityTV’s all-news channel, CP24, on satellite TV was an eerie
experience as the network showed shots of the massive explosions over and over
and over again.

Having
spent time with blogger and renowned speaker Billy Goldfeder last month, I was
quietly hoping that despite the magnitude of the fire and explosions in
northeast Toronto, we wouldn’t be reading about the propane blast on Chief
Goldfeder’s blog, www.firefighterclosecalls.com, which details line of duty deaths.

Sadly,
late in the day, Toronto Fire Services announced that a firefighter had been
found with vital signs absent, and later confirmed the death of District Chief
Bob Leeks.

Several
Canadians (including Fire Fighting in Canada) informed Goldfeder about the
LODD, and at 11 p.m., I received an e-mail from Goldfeder, sensitively
announcing DC Leek’s passing.

This
morning, poignant and touching e-mails from contributors who write for Fire
Fighting in Canada and who knew DC Leek started
pouring in. Another, from a former student of Leek’s, is heartfelt and
touching. Click here to see the tribute to a teacher, mentor and friend.

The
headlines in the Toronto papers this morning scream Terror
in the Night (The Sun), Fire and Rage (Toronto Star) and Gas blast causes
bedlam in Toronto (Globe and Mail). It’s a tough day for the Toronto Fire
Services and, in particular, for the family and friends of DC Leek. By all
accounts, Leek was a wonderful friend and colleague. Our hearts go out to his
family and those who worked with him over his 25 years of service.