Fallen NYC firefighter mourned in Bridgeport

December 07, 2001

By DANIEL TEPFER
Connecticut Post Online

When a young New York City firefighter named Dana Hannon charged into the inferno at the World Trade Center ignited by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, friends say he was thinking only about trying to save some of the thousands of lives at risk.

But even before that tragic day, the 29-year-old Hannon -- based at Manhattan's Engine Co. 26 -- had already touched more lives than he could have imagined. And with his death in the disaster, Hannon has touched three communities -- Bridgeport, New York and Wyckoff, N.J. -- that grieve together at his loss.

Born in Wyckoff, Hannon began his firefighting career in Bridgeport and died living his dream as a member of the FDNY -- 343 of his fellow firefighters also perished in the Twin Towers catastrophe.

On Saturday, four busloads of Bridgeport firefighters will travel to the small, suburban community of Wyckoff to exchange stories with their new colleagues from New York and New Jersey at a memorial service for Hannon at 11 a.m. in the Cedar Hill Christian Reformed Church.

Firefighters are a tough lot by nature and by profession, but it's unlikely there will be a dry eye in the house during what is expected to be an emotional service.

Hannon made an impression his first day in the Bridgeport Fire Department's training academy in early 1998. It was not only his 6-foot-plus, muscular frame, but he just seemed to know more about firefighting than the other rookies.

"It's not that he would brag or talk down to anyone," recalled Roger Kergaravat, who went through the academy with Hannon. "He just instinctively knew how to do things and would share his knowledge if you needed help." Like advising Kergaravat to store his helmet upside down so that it would retain its shape.

"I just knew that when I went to a fire with him that everything was going to turn out all right, he was going to be with me no matter what. He was like my soulmate in fighting fires," Kergaravat said.

Robert McNelis Sr. joined the Bridgeport Fire Department when he was 45. He was the oldest member of the training class and Hannon was the youngest. Hannon used to affectionately refer to McNelis as "grandpa."

"Sometimes, we would be on a long run and I would be lagging behind and I would hear him yell, Hey, grandpa, hurry up,' and I would see this look of concern on his face. Later I got faster and he would tell the younger guys, Hey, if grandpa can do it so can you,' " McNelis recalled.

At the end of training, the new firefighters put in orders for a special flashlight that would enable them to see better in smoky buildings. But the flashlight cost about $100 and McNelis said he couldn't afford it, so didn't put an order in for one. However, when the lights came in, McNelis found there was an order with his name on it.

"I later found out that Dana, without saying anything, had ordered and paid for one for me," McNelis said. "When I confronted him about it he said, I got it for you, grandpa, so you can find your way in the dark.' "

Just a year after becoming a Bridgeport firefighter, Hannon won the department's medal of valor for rescuing a woman from her burning apartment.

Lt. Peter Oliva said Hannon was assigned on April 3, 1999, to Engine Co. 3. That day, the fire company was dispatched to a fire at a North Avenue apartment building.

"When they got there the building was engulfed in flames and smoke, but Dana made his way inside," he said. "The woman was unconscious in her apartment, next to the room where the fire was. Dana had to crawl past the fire to get to her. He carried her outside the building and she was revived."

"Dana didn't become a hero on Sept. 11," Oliva continued. "He became a hero the first time he put the uniform on."

Hannon basically grew up in the Wyckoff firehouse. His father, a member of the all-volunteer department, had brought Dana to the firehouse from the time he was a toddler.

"He grew up in the firehouse and into the mold of a firefighter," said Wyckoff Fire Chief Rick Alnor. "His dream was always to be a career firefighter and he achieved that in Bridgeport, but he aspired to become a New York City firefighter."

When Hannon turned 18 he immediately became a volunteer firefighter in Wyckoff. He then set about learning everything he could about firefighting. He became so knowledgable, he was chosen as an instructor with the national Fire Department Instructors Conference, Alnor said.

While in Bridgeport, Hannon became a friend of Firefighter Greg Manning, now a spokesman for New York City's Fire Department.

"While we were in Bridgeport we would joke around that we were getting closer to New York. Bridgeport was like going to the major leagues, but when you got to New York City it was like playing for the Yankees," Manning said.

Both eventually ended up on the New York force, and although assigned to different companies, they still remained close.

Last August, Hannon became engaged to his girlfriend, Allison Danson. He popped the question as the two stood on the deck of the bridge that spans the harbor in Sydney, Australia.

"Allison is terribly afraid of heights and it took Dana a lot of convincing to get her up there," Manning said. "If every fire department had a Dana they wouldn't have any problems."

An avid outdoorsman, Hannon would often organize fishing trips of Bridgeport, New Jersey and New York firefighters to spots in upstate New York. For those trips he purchased a camouflaged fishing boat, which will be placed next to the altar at his memorial service.

Hannon also spent summers working as a volunteer at the Connecticut Burn Camp in Union, a camp for children injured in fires.

"He would do what ever was needed, no questions asked," said Oliva. "Whether it was sweeping up around the camp or building a ramp for handicapped children, he would dive right in."

Since the Sept. 11 tragedy, Bridgeport firefighters have been volunteering their time at New York's Engine 26 and the Wyckoff Fire Department.

"The Bridgeport firefighters have been dynamite to us," said Alnor. They have made numerous offers to help us in any way they can and have shown great concern for Dana's family."

"We've had guys go down to Engine 26 and help cook meals and do anything else that was needed," added Oliva. "But it's really no big deal.

"Dana left a piece of himself in Bridgeport, but he also took a piece of us with him," he said.