Instructor Spotlight – Chief Steve McCarthy (Ret). In addition to helping Response Technologies deliver quality programs, Steve also volunteers his time for a very important assignment – For the past five years, Steve has assisted families of fallen firefighters by serving as a “family escort” at the National Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland. This year Steve escorted the family of Dwayne Anthony Thomas, a firefighter from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Firefighter Thomas was 57 years old and suffered a heart attack while fighting a house fire. Steve escorted the 18 family members of Firefighter Thomas who came for the Memorial Service. Steve volunteers his time to serve as a family escort which requires him to pay for his own travel and rental car to get to the service. Steve describes his involvement as a “very positive experience but also sad to see all of these families who have given so much with the loss of a father, brother, daughter, or son to the fire service. We forget sometimes how dangerous this business can be.” For more information about the Fallen Firefighter Memorial, please visit: https://www.firehero.org/fallen-firefighters/memorial-park/national-fallen-firefighters-memorial/