Say What You Want...

[ChiefReason]

Say what you want about Leary the comedian or his racy series "Rescue Me", but the guy is a class act. He is an enormous advocate for firefighters, like it or not!
Read on: http://cms.firehouse.com/content/art...1&sectionId=46
CR

[RyanEMVFD]

It's funny about what some of the people that have bad or odd reputations do that we don't know or think about. It still floors me that my son is a big Thomas the Tank Engine fan and some of the stories are done by George Carlin.

[ntmd8r38]

I've always liked Leary,,the show is great if you take it the way it's intended,,the work his Foundation does is just one more reason to like the guy.

[TrainingNut]

And his Firefighter Foundation hockey games are a blast as well!

He is the only celebrity I know of that is a huge advocate of firefighters....except maybe John Travolta.

[firetruckred]

Say what you want about Leary the comedian or his racy series "Rescue Me", but the guy is a class act. He is an enormous advocate for firefighters, like it or not!
Read on: http://cms.firehouse.com/content/art...1&sectionId=46
CR

I was going to post this also. I am glad I looked to see if someone else did. Leary is a good man for actually DOING what most people TALK about doing.

[backsteprescue123]

I am not a huge fan of the show but that is definatly a great thing that he did.

[NJFFSA16]

From the AP wires...where the passion stems from.

BOSTON (AP) - The tone of the late-night phone message from his
brother was all Denis Leary needed to hear to know that his cousin
was probably dead.
The man Leary described as a "warrior" had rushed into a
burning warehouse with five other firefighters in Worcester and
hadn't come out. Smoke was still pouring from the building when
Leary clicked on the TV after he got the message the next morning.
"They were just considered missing at that point, but it was
pretty obvious from the get-go that nobody was coming out," he
said.
The December 1999 death of Jeremiah Lucey, then the deaths of
hundreds of firefighters two years later on Sept. 11, sparked a
passion in the Emmy Award-nominated actor-comedian to fight for
funding for a group he says is largely overlooked for all its
heroics.
Since it was founded six years ago, the Leary Firefighter
Foundation has raised $7 million for equipment and training for
firefighters in New Orleans, New York, Worcester and Boston, in
part through special events like his annual celebrity hockey game.
On Tuesday, Leary was in Boston to donate a $250,000 fire boat to
the city department.
"This is his passion," said fellow comedian Lenny Clarke, a
friend of Leary's for 27 years. "This guy believes in this
entirely. In every aspect of his life, there's a chunk of it that
is dedicated to the firefighters and to helping the firefighters."
Leary, who plays a New York City firefighter on the FX
television series "Rescue Me," met with numerous Boston
firefighters Tuesday, showing none of the intense, frenetic style
that characterizes his professional persona, apart from the pace
with which he sucked down cigarettes.
He gave out handshakes and hugs to any firefighter who wanted
them, and signed whatever they tossed in front of him.
Boston Firefighter Scott Salman said Leary's sincerity is
obvious.
"It does boost our morale and it makes the public more aware,"
he said. "I believe it is from his heart."
Commissioner Kevin MacCurtain said that as time passes since
Sept. 11, more people forget the needs of firefighters. Leary's
efforts remind them, he said.
"Denis Leary is legit, he's honest, he's passionately involved
in assisting firefighters," he said. "All firefighters need help
wherever they can get it."
Growing up in Worcester, Leary had no special affinity with
firefighters or their jobs. His cousin's consistent complaints
about a lack of equipment or training also had little effect.
"It wasn't until he died that it sort of dawned on me that
being a celebrity, I could do something to help," he said.
Lucey was supposed to be off the night of the fire at the
Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse building but was covering a
shift for a friend. He'd also switched out of rescue-truck driving
duties so he could go into a building if necessary.
"He was very much a warrior about it," Leary said.
There were no people inside the warehouse when Lucey went in - a
homeless couple that started the fire had already escaped. The
firefighters weren't as fortunate, becoming trapped in the
virtually windowless building as it filled with smoke.
After the fire, Leary's efforts to help were aimed at restoring
the city department and helping the 17 kids left fatherless.
The foundation ratcheted up its efforts after Sept. 11, 2001,
spurred by the scope of the tragedy and his close friendship with
New York City firefighter Terry Quinn, who survived the attack and
is now a consultant on "Rescue Me."
Firefighters often are hailed after tragedies but are quickly
forgotten, Leary said. He noted with irritation that no memorial
yet exists in New York at the World Trade Center site for those who
died on Sept. 11. "There's an empty pit," he said.
In Worcester, memory of the fire has already receded, he said.
"In the politicians' minds it doesn't even exist anymore," he
said.
Part of it is the nature of firefighting, where the men and
women themselves have to forget their calls so they can move onto
the next one, he said. But Leary also believes it's because the
importance of a firefighter's job makes it impossible for them to
strike, and easier to ignore during budget time.
Leary plans to keep paying attention.
"We all know something happens when you call 911, who the first
people who come and help you are going to be," he said.

[firetruckred]

Thank you so much for posting that. Please post any other info on the subject.

[scvfd412]

I am happy to see a celebrity doing postive things for the fire service, reguardless the reason.

My husband didn't like him as a comedian. After the first time he saw the TV show, he was hooked and did some research, and now he respects him.

[LuckyThirteen]

I've always loved him as a comedian, but after reading this and checking out his site, http://www.learyfirefightersfoundation.org , I have a newfound respect for the man.