Fire Fight the Smears

Eric Vinitsky

Most sports fans recognize these words of the legendary US Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks, characterizing what it truly meant to be a member of a team. To this week’s profiled firefighter it is creed that has inspired him to serve causes bigger than himself. When the United States claimed gold in the 1980 Winter Games, Americans shocked the world. Back then, there was nothing more American than being part of a team, working together toward a common goal. Some say those values are old fashioned and if that’s the case, Eric Vinitsky of Engine 39 is a throwback and anything but old-fashioned.

Raised and educated in Savin Hill, Eric always knew that he wanted to be a Boston Firefighter. He graduated from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy with a degree in Marine Engineering, where he also played baseball. With a history of military service in his family -his grandfather served in the United States Navy during World War II- and the attacks of 9/11 a haunting reality, Eric enlisted as an infantryman in the United States Army. (He would later be commissioned as an officer in 2003, rising to the rank of Captain.) Eric has been deployed to Kuwait and Iraq, where he served as platoon leader and convoy commander. His most recent combat tour brought Eric to the mountains of Afghanistan. Enduring battles with the Taliban throughout, Eric’s missions included training, supporting and fighting with the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), treating Afghan civilians’ medical issues, and supplying Afghan villages with food, clothing, school supplies and other equipment.

In 2006 Eric became a Boston Firefighter. When asked, Eric reiterated the reason he couldn’t see himself doing anything else for a living, “I love being a Boston Firefighter because I am part of a team working towards a common goal-protecting the City. We, as a group, do something that is for the greater good, not for our own personal needs. We get to help people usually on the worst day of their lives.”

Eric’s service doesn’t end after a shift or military deployment. When a fellow firefighter and the son of a firefighter were diagnosed with a brain tumor, Eric asked how he could help. He was told he needed to run the Boston Marathon and raise a few thousand dollars. His response: “No problem.”

Drew Lee

Name: Andrew C. Lee

Favorite Band: Pogues

Favorite Boston Icon: Ted Williams (the Marine)

Born and raised in South Boston, our next featured firefighter is Drew Lee of Engine 24 in Grove Hall.  Like many other Boston Jakes, Drew has proudly served our country overseas. He grew up in a neighborhood with a well-documented and much-envied history of military service, which motivated him to enlist as a Marine. Currently a USMC Captain, Drew served five years on active duty and seven years on reserve in the Corps. After being stationed at various Camps around the US, Drew has been deployed to Iraq three times, the Baltic Region and Okinawa, Japan. After deployment, Drew came back to the States and became a Boston Firefighter.

During his teenage years, the harbor was his playground. He learned to sail at the Harry McDonough Sailing Center on Castle Island and then at the South Boston Yacht Club, where he became an instructor. The ocean had such an influence on him that after graduating Copley High School (now Snowden International School) in 1993, he went on to earn his degree in Maritime Science at Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Cape Cod. It is easy to understand why his favorite Boston landmark is the USS Constitution, ‘Old Ironsides’.

Drew has been all over the world and seen many places, but Boston will always be home base. When he is not at the firehouse, Drew spends as much time as he can with his family. He enjoys taking his four children to the parks and beaches in South Boston, sharing with them his many happy memories. Family and friends are at the center of his life. Drew also spends time teaching fire safety, speaking to young children at their schools.

Known for his conditioning, Drew quietly goes about his job, prepared physically and mentally at a moment’s notice to answer the alarm. He answered that alarm on February 10, 2007 responding to a fire at 60 Cheney St, Roxbury. According to the newspaper account of the fire, ‘Drew and his crew were returning to their fire station after a nearby medical call, when they received the report of the fire. People outside the building told the firefighters children were inside the burning apartment. Lee raced up the four flights, put his mask on, and entered the apartment on his hands and knees. “All I was thinking was, ‘Get the kids out,’ ” Lee said. After pulling out the two older children and handing them to other firefighters — “It was a chain of guys and we just handed them off” — Lee kept searching. He found the youngest child on the floor in the bedroom. Drew was further quoted in the article, “It was the same size and weight as my son. I thought,’The little guy ain’t making it,’ so I just ran with him.” The child did make it, thanks to Drew’s quick reaction and the efforts of his fellow firefighters.

His actions were recognized not only by his fellow firefighters, but by the Governor of the Commonwealth and in 2007, Drew was named a ‘Firefighter of the Year’. The consummate firefighter, Drew enjoys the respect and admiration of all who meet and work with him.

Jimmy Cheatham

Name:

Jimmy Cheatham

Favorite Season:
Fall/Winter

Favorite Band:
Frankie Beverly

Favorite TV Show:
Law and Order: Criminal Intent

This week’s featured firefighter is Jimmy Cheatham of Ladder 17 in the South End, a Boston Firefighter for 22 years. At 6’5”, “Big Jim” as he is often called is stationed in his old neighborhood. Born and raised in the South End, Jimmy attended Cathedral Grammar School and Don Bosco Technical High School where he was a three sport athlete, lettering in football, track and basketball. In his senior year, Jimmy helped lead his basketball team to the State Championship. After graduating from Don Bosco, Jimmy continued his education at Post College in Waterbury, CT earning his degree in 1984. After a few years in Connecticut, with a degree in hand, Boston beckoned him back. In 1987, Jimmy became a Boston Firefighter.

He states that one of his favorite aspects of being a firefighter is interacting with the public on a daily basis. Jimmy recalls a recent reunion with a woman he rescued from a house fire. “A couple of years ago, a fire broke out on Dwight Street early in the morning. As my company pulled out of the firehouse, we could already see the smoke in the air. When we arrived on scene, our team immediately began rescuing people from the building.” As Jimmy entered the building engulfed in flames, an unconscious male occupant was placed in his arms. After carrying the man to safety, Jimmy’s next task was to help get a fellow firefighter, overcome by the fire’s heat, out of the building. On his third return, Jimmy rescued a female occupant still trapped in the building. Months later, he had bumped into the woman a few blocks from his firehouse. After realizing who she was, they had an emotional reunion on the street. “I was surprised to see her, and when she told me how grateful and happy she was to see me, it reminded me why we do this job. Boston Firefighters are here for the people of this city.  Helping people- whether it be saving a life or teaching kids about fire safety- is what motivates a Boston Firefighter.”

Another story Jimmy highlights is that of a young firefighter enthusiast from his old neighborhood (pictured above). He stops by the firehouse everyday on his way to and from school to say hello, always asking for Big Jim, who gladly shows the starry-eyed kid around. “It is great to have the kids interested in being a firefighter. I am happy to put a smile on his face by simply giving him a little bit of my time. It makes a difference.”

Often the jokester, one of Jimmy’s favorite firehouse stories happened one evening several years ago. While their target was distracted, Jimmy and a few others went into the bunk area, placing his bed on empty soda cans. After waiting for their fellow jake to call it a night, they heard the anticipated crash as the bed collapsed to the ground. At first surprised and upset, their housemate was soon laughing with the rest of the group. Jimmy reveals that working together in a company makes for a family-type atmosphere, providing a bond and trust all firefighters share.

Though being a firefighter is his greatest passion, Big Jim has renewed his passion for basketball and looks forward to teaching his grandchildren how to play. He enjoys watching the Celtics and believes that with his favorite player, Kevin Garnett, leading the charge, they can bring home another NBA Championship to Boston. No matter what the fate of the Celts may be this year Jimmy maintains, “there’s one team in town that will never let this city down and that’s the Boston Firefighters.”

Deanna McDevitt

Name: Deanna McDevitt

Favorite New England Season: Winter

Favorite Boston Sports Team: Boston Bruins

Our next profiled firefighter, Deanna McDevitt, is somebody any organization would like to have among their ranks. A fourth generation jake, it was at her brother Danny’s swearing in ceremony when she realized that she wanted to become one herself.  Officially sworn-in in October of 2008, Deanna has since become a proud and trusted member of Engine 3 in the South End.

Born and raised in South Boston- where hockey is King, or this case Queen-Deanna was a rising star in her youth hockey days. In high school, she was recruited by Milton Academy where she not only captained the lacrosse and hockey teams but was named Most Valuable Female Athlete in her senior year. She also received the Boston Bruins’ John Carlton Memorial Award for the top scholar-athlete in Massachusetts high school hockey. With all the ingredients – scholar, athlete, leader – Yale University was the next stop for Deanna.

A member of the Women’s Ice Hockey team for four years, Deanna was voted MVP during her junior and senior seasons. Her senior year she was one of 5 finalists nominated by the American Hockey Coaches Association for the Hockey Humanitarian Award.

Deanna was also active off the ice. While at Yale, she was selected as an Association of Yale Alumni Community Service intern for the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. She also volunteered with Yale-New Haven Hospital, the Peace by Peace Program at Yale, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Hockey Ministries International and Career High School in New Haven, tutoring inner-city students.

After graduation and prior to becoming a firefighter, Deanna had been a prep school hockey and lacrosse coach. Most recently she was named head coach of the Women’s Hockey program at her alma mater, Milton Academy. Deanna also plans to play in the Boston Fire Department Hockey League this winter.

With all that Deanna has accomplished, one of her proudest moments came after she graduated from the Boston Fire Academy, and was pinned by her father and brother. Motivated by her family legacy and her involvement in athletics, Deanna admits,  ”I could not find another profession that combined my love for physical challenges, service to others and teamwork in the way that the firefighting profession does. I am proud to be a Boston firefighter and to serve with my Dad and brother.”