The Sayville Fire Department held its Annual Blood Drive on September 11, 2006. This year the event was held in honor of Wilbur Ritter and Lincoln Quappe.

Wilbur Ritter ran the blood drive for about 20 years prior to his death after answering his final call for duty. A 59-year dedicated member of the department, Ritter was involved with the community and the fire department.

Approximately 225 units of blood were donated by the community.  About 40 Sayville Firefighters donated in addition to firefighters from NYC and other volunteer departments.

The LI Blood Services staff began taking blood before the 3:30 start time and a steady stream of donors continued until after the 9:00 end time.

The Sayville Fire Department plans to hold another blood drive in the Spring and to try to schedule a blood drive on 9/11 every year.

Pictured below are Denise, with the LI Blood Services and Chief Officer Mark Beekman.

Pictured above is Peter Ritter, Wilbur Ritter son, in line to donate blood.

The officers and members of the Sayville FD, the Ritter and Quappe families and LI Blood Services thank the community for their support of this year's drive.

Wilbur Ritter, age 78, was a member of the Sayville Fire Department since 1947 and he served as a member of Sayville’s Fire Police Squad. He responded to an alarm at on Main Street on August 28, 2006 and upon arrival at the Fire Department Headquarters was observed looking ill and complained of chest pains and difficulty breathing.

Community Ambulance was immediately dispatched, while members assessed Wilbur’s condition and gave him Oxygen. Wilbur was transferred to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital, where he died shortly after arrival.

The funeral mass was held on September 1 at St. John’s Lutheran Church and the burial followed at Union Cemetery in Sayville.

Lincoln Quappe has answered his last alarm in the line of duty, as a result of injuries sustained while operation as a member of F.D.N.Y. RESCUE CO. #2 at the World Trade Center.

Sayville Fire Department had started a Memorial Fund in honor of Lincoln Quappe, an Officer of the Sayville Volunteer Fire Department Rescue Squad and a career firefighter with FDNY Rescue Company 2.

 

For more information about the Sayville Fire Department go to www.sayvillefd.org.

To schedule your next donation, call 1-800-933-2566 or schedule online at www.nybloodcenter.org