Crozer’s Reeder added to fallen firefighter and EMS memorial
The Delaware County Fallen Firefighter and EMS Memorial Committee welcomed a crowd of 200 persons to its 2019 Inclusion Ceremony on Sunday afternoon to add the name of late Crozer-Keystone Health System’s Emergency Medical Services Chief Robert C. Reeder to its memorial site in Rose Tree Park.
“It was just an honor to be able to celebrate Bob and his service to the EMS community in Delco,” said memorial committee President Richard Heffernan on Monday. “He was the chief at Crozer, but he did a lot of behind the scenes stuff at Delco Community College with the paramedic program.” Heffernan noted Reeder’s longtime work with the regional EMS Strike Team, leading efforts to assistant in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina and in New Jersey following Hurricane Sandy.
“We were thankful that all the Crozer EMS staff could come out and support us. There were a lot of people from other agencies that were there, showing their support for the Crozer staff and the Reeder family,” said Heffernan. The committee made arrangement to streams the ceremony online for one of Reeder’s daughters in Washington State, unable to attend as her husband is currently deployed for military service.
Sunday’s ceremony marked the committee’s third Inclusion Ceremony to add names to the memorial. The majority were added at its opening on Nov. 1, 2018, stretching back to the 19th century. A ceremony was held in 2018 to add Chester firefighter Thomas Chambers, Upper Darby firefighter Byron N. Evans, and Upper Darby Deputy Chief of Garrettford Drexel Hill Fire Co. Michael P. Morgan. Reeder marks the 69th individual on the memorial and the 70th plaque, as those who died due to Chester’s Wade Dump Fire in 1978 are recognized with a single plaque.
Reeder died at age 61 in October 2018 after suffering cardiac arrest on duty at a charity event at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester. Reeder had been part of Crozer-Keystone’s system for 37 years. He served as chief of its EMS for the past two decades, overseeing the services at Crozer-Keystone, Springfield, Taylor and Delaware County hospitals. He simultaneously served as president of the Delaware County Emergency Health Services Council.
Timothy Boyce, director of Delaware County Emergency Services, previously told the Times that hundreds of first responders turned out to pay their initial respects when his body was transported from Crozer to the Delaware County Medical Examiner’s Office following his death.
Boyce was on hand for Sunday’s ceremony, along with members of Delaware County Council, Office of the District Attorney, and Crozer EMS officials. “We had Bruce Egan and Larry Worrilow from Crozer EMS. Larry was more of a personal side because Larry and Bobby were best friends,” said Heffernan. “Bruce Egan is the current chief; he spoke on behalf of the EMS department and just wanted to thank everybody.”
The memorial committee first began organizing in early 2000, gaining greater traction after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to Heffernan. Along with the providing a physical monument, the committee also provide financial support to those injured and the line of duty and families of deceased who may have a prolonged waiting period before insurance and survivor benefit funds are available.
“It’s a two-fold thing. We make sure that the person’s honored appropriately and that their loved ones are taken care of,” said Heffernan. “When someone passes away … they be a head of household, a working parent… the committee thought it was a good idea to have someone to take care of them before the benefits kick in.”
The committee also provides “support to those companies during a time of tragic need” and “makes available special service to those involved in the fire and EMS in Delaware County,” such as honor guards, the Wills-for-Heroes Foundation legal services, and educational programs, according to the committee website. A portrait of late Crozer-Keystone Health System EMS Chief Robert C. Reeder stands at the Delaware County Fallen Firefighter and EMS Memorial during Sunday’s Inclusion Ceremony to add Reeder to the Rose Tree Park memorial site