After an illustrious 37-year career, firefighter Duane Wood of Rescue Company 2 in Brooklyn has retired. His final tour at the firehouse took place on Oct. 31, a day many believed would never come.
Wood began his career at Engine Company 290 and Ladder Company 103 in East New York in the late 1980s, a time when burned-out buildings and potential challenges marked the area.
He described the experience as “a wild ride.” In 1999, Wood joined the elite Rescue Company 2 in Weeksville. During one shift, he responded to 11 structural fires, he recounted to the packed firehouse. “It was then I knew I loved this company and wanted to stay.”
Longtime Captain Liam Flaherty praised Wood for his dedication to the department — one most New York City firefighters retire from after 25 to 30 years.
“Woody is the heart and soul of this company,” he said. “I am going to miss him tremendously, and fighting fires with him.”
Wood’s reputation as a steadfast and fearless firefighter reached far beyond New York City. His longtime friend Jim Regan said that Wood would feel right at home in Chicago, a city known for its resilient firefighters.
“Chicago firefighters I know said Woody was the toughest firefighter they’d ever met and that he’d fit in perfectly there as well,” Regan said.
As the second-largest municipal fire department in the country, Chicago’s fire service holds its members to high standards — a testament to the respect Wood garnered across city lines.
At home in Brooklyn, his commitment to the job never wavered. In the rescue company, firefighters are trained in specialized tasks, including rescuing trapped and downed colleagues. Wood recalled his five toughest battles, with 9/11 at the forefront due to the mental and emotional toll of losing so many colleagues. He also recalled the Richard Sclafani fire in East New York, where Sclafani, searching for a child trapped in a basement blaze at 577 Jerome St., tragically lost his life in January 2005.
He spoke of the Atlantic Avenue fire, where Firefighter Timothy Stackpole was severely injured yet battled his way back to the firehouse. Wood also remembered the 2008 John Martinson fire at the Ebbets Field Houses and a massive fourth-alarm fire at 132 Montague St. in 2021, calling it “a damn crazy fire.”
“There was so much fire,” he said, “and firefighters were missing at one point.”
Wood also looked back on the 2022 Timothy Klein fire, where he and members of Rescue Company 2, Squad 252, and other units worked to rescue the fallen firefighter after a second-floor collapse in a Canarsie private dwelling.
In retirement, Wood says he’s looking forward to spending more time with his family. His wife fought back tears as he reflected on his years as a New York City firefighter.
“You done good,” she said.
