The family of a New York City fire captain who died 77 years ago after battling a massive Queens blaze is demanding the FDNY add his name to a memorial wall honoring his sacrifice.
Hans Meister’s kin is preparing to file a petition in Brooklyn supreme court seeking to compel the FDNY to acknowledge Meister died as a direct result of stamping out a five-alarm warehouse fire on Oct. 8, 1943 — an admission the department has, for years, refused to grant.
“We want grandpa’s death to be viewed as a line-of-duty death and his name be put on the wall with the thousand of other firefighters,” said Richard Meister, who was rebuffed by the fire department in 1997 when he initially requested his grandfather’s name be displayed on a memorial wall outside the department’s Brooklyn headquarters.
“His work record does not acknowledge the fire at all and we think that’s a travesty.”
The day after battling the huge fire, Meister, then a fire captain of Engine 292, developed a “nasty cough,” that got progressively worse and ended with his death five days later, per the report.
Hans’ death certificate says a heart condition claimed his life — despite the lack of an autopsy or any official investigation, per a report drafted by the family’s lawyer, Edward McCarthy, III, a former state judge, partner at Vishnick McGovern Milizio LLP and the son of a fire chief.
Richard is hoping his lawyer’s investigative report will sway the court in their favor, because it concludes that Meister’s real cause of death was a condition now commonly known as acute respiratory distress syndrome that can occur after inhaling smoke.
Hans was 52-years-old and a 23-year fire veteran when he helped extinguish flames inside what was then the International Diesel Electric Company, a warehouse that stored diesel engine units scheduled to be delivered to the army and navy, the report says.
The building was described as being consumed by enormous flames while thick, black smoke enveloped the area.
The fire was so aggressive, then-Mayor Fiorello La Guardia ordered all the firemen inside the building to pull out — but later rescinded the order when the fire got under control.
The cough Hans developed was a result of inhalation injuries he sustained from exposure to smoke and flames, the report argues.
“There is essentially no doubt that the fire was the primary cause of his death,” McCarthy, the son of a former fire chief, told the Post.
“Let’s recognize them when they die, they just want his name added to the board.”
“It’s not a big ask,” added Richard, a financier who in 1998 partnered with the Uniformed Fire Officers Association to create a scholarship fund in his grandfather’s name. The fund has awarded over $3 million to children and grandchildren of deceased members of the city Fire Department.
“The fire department and the men and women who work for it believe very much in honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice and this would mean a lot for us. It’s part of the healing process,” Richard, 67, said.
The family is not seeking any financial compensation.
In a statement, the FDNY said that “line of duty determination is made at the time of death”
“The Department does not have any information that conflicts the decision made at the time. If new information is provided, the Department will review the matter,” a rep said.
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Fallen firefighter's family battles for recognition 77 years later - New York Post
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