The FDNY said Gerhard responded to a fire Tuesday afternoon at a home on Beach Channel Drive in Far Rockaway.
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Firefighter Jesse Gerhard died Thursday morning after battling a house fire earlier this week in Queens. The FDNY said Gerhard responded to a fire Tuesday afternoon at a home on Beach Channel Drive in Far Rockaway. He suffered a medical episode and collapsed at the Ladder 134 fire house at around 11 p.m. on Wednesday. “The other members heard a noise like a collapse and responded to find him unconscious. Despite the valiant efforts of both our members and the hospital staff, he was pronounced,” Acting FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said. A procession of fire trucks and police cruisers carried Gerhard’s body to the medical examiner’s office on Thursday morning. Mayor Eric Adams ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff in remembrance of the 33-year-old, CBS2’s Natalie Duddridge reported. The acting commissioner and mayor said Gerhard, a seven-year veteran of the force, always wanted to be a firefighter and also served three years as an EMT.
