Fallen Ottawa Lake-Whiteford Township firefighter to be honored

Fallen firefighter Ronald Cassada of the Ottawa Lake-Whiteford Fire Department will be among those honored at the 43rd National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend on May 4-5 in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

This year’s tribute will honor 89 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2023 and 137 firefighters who died in previous years.

Cassada, an Ottawa Lake resident, became a volunteer firefighter in 1999. His wife, Karen, joined the department in 2008 and is a current volunteer.

For more than two decades, Cassada served as a firefighter and was active in the department until he became ill. He was 66 when he died on Sept. 27, 2021, due to complications of COVID-19.

“That’s how we believe he contracted COVID, from a call,” Chief Shane Hillard of Ottawa Lake-Whiteford Township Fire Department said. “That’s how it became a line of duty death. It was COVID from an incident we were all on and he had complications from it.”

Over the years, Hillard, while as a firefighter, captain and chief, worked with Cassada.

“Ron was the type of guy you wish you had 20 of,” Hillard said. “Ron was always there. Anything you wanted done, Ron was that guy.”

Hillard said Cassada loved camaraderie at the department and interacting with children.

“Daycares, preschools, that was Ron. He was the firefighter that did the talking to the kids. He showed them the fire trucks. That was Ron’s niche,” Hillard said.

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Along with Cassada, the honorees will include Michigan firefighters Ricky Hill Jr. and Ethan Quillen.

Firefighter/Apparatus Operator Ricky Hill Jr., 49, of the Flint Fire Department, collapsed at the scene of a structure fire on Feb. 25, 2023. He was pronounced dead at the hospital due to a heart attack.

Lieutenant Ethan Quillen, 28, of the Paw Paw Volunteer Fire Department, responded to a scene of trees on fire and wires down due to an ice storm on Feb. 22, 2023. While at the scene, a tree broke in the vicinity of the incident and caused a power line to collapse and strike Quillen. He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

Detailed information about each of the 226 firefighters being memorialized can be found on the 2024 Roll of Honor .

“National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend is a time for our nation to pause and reflect on the heroic efforts and selfless service of the fallen firefighters we are paying tribute to this year,” Victor Stagnaro, NFFF CEO, said in a written statement. “We will always remember the bravery, commitment and sacrifices of each of these 226 heroes and their families.”

There are two events open to the public at the NFFF Memorial Park on the grounds of the National Emergency Training Center during Memorial Weekend.

The National Fallen Firefighters Candlelight Service takes place at 7:30 p.m. May 4 and will be hosted by Fire Captain Garon Mosby of the St. Louis Fire Department.

The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service is at 10 a.m. May 5 and will be hosted by actor Jeremy Holm.

Fire service and government leaders are scheduled to address thousands of attendees May 5. The NFFF will live stream both events on firehero.org .

Schedule

Saturday, May 4 : Candlelight Service

Time: 7:30-9 p.m.

Sunday, May 5 : Memorial Service

Time: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

— Contact reporter Lisa Vidaurri-Bowling at lvidaurribowling@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Fallen Ottawa Lake-Whiteford Township firefighter to be honored