PORTLAND, Oregon — For over 100 years, Portland firefighters look to honor their fallen brethren. Though for the first time, the list included Roger C. Brandenburg, who served as a firefighter for 13 years.
Brandenburg is one of 77 firefighters who have died in the line of duty in Portland Fire & Rescue's history — but this realization came more than 40 years after his death.
He first started his firefighting career in 1964 when he was 26 years old. In 1977, Brandenburg was dispatched to a sailboat in distress, which had drifted into electrical wires. He boarded the boat and was electrocuted. He was taken to the hospital and survived the incident, although he suffered heart related injuries for the rest of his life.
In 1981, he died from cardiac arrest, which was attributable to the shock from four years earlier. He wasn’t initially honored because his death didn’t happen while on service as a firefighter. However, when presented with the evidence, the David Campbell Memorial Association that honors the firefighters decided his death was directly related to his career.
"He loved his career as a Portland firefighter," said Patti Schnur, Brandenburg’s daughter. She was just 22 years old when her father died.
"We miss him,” Schnur added. “We still miss him."
Dozens of Brandenburg's family's members gathered Wednesday to remember him, though many in his family never had the opportunity to meet him.
"This is really meaningful for us as well as a family so those next generations can see the impact," said Sue Brandenburg, one of his daughters.
Throughout Brandenburg’s career, family members said he fought to improve working conditions for firefighters. Something that, Portland Fire & Rescue said it is still working to do.
"We will continue our efforts to address cancer reduction, cardiac disease, and the mental health impacts of this profession that we have all chosen," said Ryan Gillespie, Portland Fire & Rescue Chief.
On Wednesday, his family heard Brandenburg honored, along with other fallen firefighters, for the first time.
"It's a moment of closure, it's a moment of honor and it's a moment of validation," Sue said.