Friday Services Scheduled for Fallen Connecticut Fire Fighters

Michel Baik

July 28, 2010 – Thousands of fire fighters, family and friends are expected to travel to Bridgeport, Connecticut, to pay their respects to two fallen Bridgeport Local 834 fire fighters on Friday, July 30. Steven Velasquez, 40, and Michel Baik, 49, made the ultimate sacrifice Saturday, July 24, while fighting a house fire.

For Lieutenant Velasquez, the viewing will be held on Thursday, July 29 from 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. at Klein Auditorium located at 910 Fairfield Avenue in Bridgeport. Funeral services will be held Friday, July 30 at 10:00 a.m., at St. Augustine Cathedral, 359 Washington Avenue in Bridgeport.

For Fire fighter Baik, the viewing will be held on Thursday, July 29 from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Abriola Parkview Funeral Home located at 419 White Plains Road in Trumbull, Connecticut. Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 30 at 2:00 p.m. at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church located at 5458 Park Avenue in Bridgeport.

Steven Velasquez

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IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger will deliver the eulogy during both services. “It is with a heavy heart that I extend condolences on behalf of the 298,000 members of the IAFF to the Velasquez and Baik families and to their fellow Bridgeport Local 834 fire fighters,” says General President Schaitberger. “By all accounts, both were excellent fire fighters. They will be missed.”

“Velasquez and Baik were two of our best,” says Local 834 President Robert Whitbread. “They were both dedicated to their duty, the kind any of us would be glad to work with on the scene of any emergency. While this is a difficult time for all Local 834 members, we are reaching out to the families to determine what we can do to help them in their time of need.”

The two Local 834 fire fighters were among those responding to Saturday’s house fire. Upon arrival, Velasquez and Baik went to the third floor of the home, a converted apartment, to ventilate and search for potential trapped victims.

It is speculated that the two ran out of air and sent a Mayday. They were found unconscious on the third floor and transported to local hospitals. Both were declared dead a short time later.

The Connecticut State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the incident. Office officials expect the investigation to take weeks because they are not only investigating the cause of the fire, but also potential SCBA failures. Officials already know that the home’s owner did not get a permit before turning the third floor into an apartment and, therefore, may have not met safe building codes.

Velasquez, who joined the Bridgeport Fire Department in 1994, is survived by his wife Marianne, his children Aaron (16) and Salina (20 months), his mother Carol, his brother Jason and his sister Cindy.

Baik, who joined the Bridgeport Fire Department in 2008, is survived by his wife Laurie, his children Andrew (19), Thomas (17) and Margaret (12), his mother Mary and his sister Rania.