First responders prepare for firefighters' funerals

• Fallen firefighters Lt. Christopher Leach and Senior Firefighter Jerry Fickes will be buried this week.
• Funerals are scheduled for Friday for both men with a joint memorial service open to the public on Saturday.
• Local agencies are providing housing for those coming in from out of town.

Wilmington will likely see thousands of first responders from around Delaware and the region this week at services for fallen city firefighters Lt. Christopher Leach and Senior Firefighter Jerry Fickes.

Line of Duty Death services, known for miles-long processions of emergency vehicles and a somber pipe and drum band, usually draw a large response locally and nationally. Already, the Wilmington Fire Department is seeing that same response. The two men died when the first floor of a fiery Canby Park rowhome collapsed, trapping them in the basement.

Bruce Schweiger, president of Wilmington's firefighter union – the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1590 – said though it's hard to estimate how many people will come out, the memorial service scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday could see anywhere between 2,000 to 20,000 people. It will be held at the Chase Center on the Riverfront to accommodate the large crowds. Doors will open at noon.

Local fire departments and supporters of first responders are opening their doors to house those coming in from out of town. The Delaware City Fire Company is offering lodging for at least five men and two women, as well as additional sleeping space on cots.

"In all honestly, that's the point that we have to keep in the forefront when we get past this," said Wally Poppe, president of the Delaware City Fire Company, in regard to the strong outpouring of support. "We always come together like this, but it should be every day."

RELATED: Chief recounts moments before firefighters' deaths

RELATED: 'Firefighters trapped! ... Mayday, mayday'

The department is one of many that will be sending fire trucks and other emergency vehicles to Wilmington Saturday to honor the fallen men. Some emergency vehicles will also provide an escort for Leach's funeral on Friday.

His viewing and funeral will be held at St. Elizabeth Church on Broom Street in Wilmington. The Mass is open to friends, family, the Wilmington Fire Department and local first responders. Public responders will provide escort for the funeral procession, as is typical of line-of-duty death services.

The viewing will begin at 10 a.m. and Mass is scheduled for noon Friday.

Services for Fickes will span two days, beginning with a public viewing, including fire personnel, Thursday night at Grace Lutheran Church along Graves Road in Hockessin. The viewing will last from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. A second viewing is scheduled for Friday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for family, friends and members of the Wilmington Fire Department. A funeral service will follow, burial is private.

Agencies looking to provide honor guards for Leach's funeral procession and at the joint memorial service may contact Griff Jordan at gjordan188@gmail.com. Those looking to provide pipes and drums at the memorial service should contact Mike Khairzada at mkhairzada@comcast.net to set up logistics.

Previous Line of Duty Death services have drawn thousands to the First State and allowed the community to see the true breadth of emergency responders.

When volunteer firefighter Tim McClanahan died this summer during a training exercise, hundreds of fire and emergency personnel flocked to Lewes for his funeral services. Entire fire companies filled Cape Henlopen High School's auditorium, with more mourners filling the lobby where a livestream broadcast services happening inside.

A procession stretching more than a mile long escorted McClanahan to the firehouse, where a final fire call sounded for him, and then to the funeral as part of Line of Duty service.

Thousands also turned out for the funeral of Lt. Joseph Szczerba, who was fatally stabbed while struggling with a suspect in September 2011. Community members lined local roads to pay their respects as police and fire vehicles with lights flashing transported the casket to the Chase Center for services.

No updates on the cause or origin of the fire along Lakeview Road were provided by the state Fire Marshal's Office or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Tuesday.

Firefighters Ardythe Hope and Brad Speakman, both of whom were transported to Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland, Pennsylvania, remain hospitalized from their injuries. Hope and Speakman remain in critical but stable condition, Wilmington Fire Chief Anthony Goode said.

"Lord, you don't put more on us than what is necessary," Goode said in a tweet Tuesday, "but can you take it easy on the firefighters, it's been a hard month! Amen."

The fire department also released the names of three firefighters who were injured in the fire and later released with minor injuries. The department initially said only two other firefighters were treated but clarified that number to three on Tuesday.

Lieutenant John Cawthray, Senior Firefighter Peter Cramer and Senior Firefighter Terrance Tate sustained injuries but have been cleared. The men helped carry Leach's casket when it was removed from the state Medical Examiner's Office Monday morning and driven to the funeral home.

A New York fire battalion chief died Tuesday morning in a Bronx house explosion. His services have not yet been announced.

After working as a dispatcher, Poppe said there are few worse words to hear coming through the radio than "mayday, mayday, mayday," the call often given when an emergency situation takes a bad turn. Those working that night and those working with him deserve credit for the professionalism and calm displayed, he said.

"If you ever hear the words 'mayday mayday mayday,' your heart and stomach just drops," Poppe said.

The union continues to raise money for the families of Leach and Fickes through a GoFundMe page. As of noon Tuesday, the page had raised over $31,000 from more than 300 donations.

Comments left with the monetary donations give voice to the community support. It also shows donations from agencies like the Prince George's County (Maryland) Professional Fire Fighters Association, the Boston Fire Department and more.

Both men left behind families with young children.

Other fundraising efforts are also underway. The Caravel Academy, where two of firefighter Speakman's children attend school, will allow students to wear jeans rather than their typical uniforms for a $1 donation on Friday. They will also accept additional donations to aid in medical costs and other needs for the family.

New Castle County Fire Service will hold a "Beef and Beer" Friday night at the Delaware City Fire Company on Fifth Street. A place setting for two will mark where Leach and Fickes would have sat, and donations for the GoFundMe fundraiser will be accepted for the fire service.

"It's been really hard, with the funeral services and things like that," Poppe said. "But Chris would want us to continue, especially if we're trying to raise money for the fire service of Delaware."

Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.