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The Death of a Firefighting Legend For most people across this country, April 6th passed just like any other day. In fact, if you asked most people whether they ever heard the name Richard Scheidt, most would say, “Never heard of him.” But many people have seen his picture. His photograph (below) graced the cover of Life Magazine on December 15, 1958. His face was filled with anguish as he exited the Our Lady of Angels Catholic School carrying the body of a young boy who perished in the blaze. In all, the fire killed 92 children and three nuns. On April 6, 2009, retired Fire Captain Richard Scheidt passed away at his home leaving behind a quiet yet powerful legacy for many people, especially firefighters.
According to family and friends, he rarely talked about the fire. In fact, it wasn’t until he received a phone call in 1980 from two authors who wanted to write a story about the fire that he even began talking about the tragedy. While the photograph may have made Captain Scheidt famous, it was his work ethic that made him legendary. He started his career in 1950. Take-home pay was $45 every two weeks. At the time, the Chicago Fire Department had only two platoons. You had to buy your own helmet, bunker coat, gloves, boots, and uniforms. You often had to report for duty in your Class A uniform (which you also paid for out of your own pocket), and like many firefighters, he worked a second job to provide for his family. His second job was working as a cement finisher, which he did alongside his 35-year career with the Chicago Fire Department. Throughout his career, he was known as one of the toughest firefighters in the city. He always worked on busy companies. Those were the days when you didn’t have SCBA and power saws. Aerial and ground ladders were made of wood, and every hole you opened was done by hand with an axe. It was not uncommon to go to seven fires a day and then go to the side job. The pay wasn’t great, but the bonds of what we call “Brotherhood” where made by men like Richard Scheidt. I cannot say I was a close personal friend of Captain Scheidt. In fact, it you had to break it down into hours, I only knew the man for less than three. Shortly after I read the book, To Sleep with the Angels, I had the chance to meet with him at his home. As I walked up the driveway, I saw him working in his back yard. The first thing I noticed about him was his arms. I thought about him carrying the body of young John Jajkowski. He smiled, shook my hand, and said, “Lets go inside for some coffee.” We talked about his days on Squad One, Engine 45 and Truck 15. He talked about the camaraderie in the firehouse, the bosses, and the crazy things they did. After a while, I finally asked him about the fire. He stared out the window for a moment and said, "We parked about two blocks away from the building. We grabbed our tools and found Fire Commissioner Quinn in front of the school. He said he had three engine companies trying to advance down the second floor hallway. He told us, 'Get it in there, and start a search.' When we reached the second floor landing, all three engines were trying to move their lines forward. "Each engine company had a 2½-inch line with a 1¼-inch tip. We split the company and began breaching the walls to get into the classrooms. No visibility and high heat. Finally we made our way in. The engines had knocked the fire and you could begin to see the bodies of all the dead children. I looked at my lieutenant and said, 'Where should we start?' "He looked at me and said, 'Start right here Dick.' I picked up the body of the young boy and began making my way down the stairs. What I remember most about that day was the sound of my boots splashing in the water. The pumps had shut down, and all I could see were hundreds of people lining the street. As far as I could see they were backed up onto the porches of the houses across the street from the school. I turned to my right and handed him off to another firefighter and went back in." It was at that point I noticed he was fighting back all the pain and anguish of that day. He then reached over, grabbed my book, picked up a pen, wrote a few words and signed his name. We quickly began to talk about other people we knew. Fellow Fire Nuggets author Retired Battalion Chief Ray Hoff had worked along side him at Engine 45 and Truck 15 in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Ray would comment that, "You’d be sucking nails out of the floor, and he would stand over you and say, 'C’mon, move in!'" His brother Bob (now first deputy fire commissioner) also worked with Dick as a cement finisher. He said he worked as hard at the firehouse as he did on the side job. When it was time to work, you worked! So what made Richard Scheidt a legend? Some would say it’s the picture, but it’s actually a phrase that was passed onto him that he shared most every young firefighter who ever worked with him. “Always leave the job a little better for the next guy!” Leaving it better than how we found it means knowing that your tools, the apparatus, and the firehouse are good to go for the next run or the oncoming shift. Everyone eventually retires from this profession. If there was one thing they could say about you, would it be, “He always left things better for the rest of us”? If they do, then you’ve left a great legacy! © Copyright Firenuggets.com 2009 • Click here for Terms and Conditions of Use
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