A retired city firefighter who went on to become the head of a specialized team that assisted residents ravaged by disasters died Monday. He was 59.
Luis (Pepe) Fragoso, formerly of Ladder 53 in Harlem and Engine 83 in the Bronx, died of a heart attack at his home, according to friend Lt. Rico Diaz.
The heart attack stemmed from a 9/11-related lung ailment that caused Fragoso to retire in 2002, Diaz said.
But he never stopped helping people.
Fragoso co-founded the FDNY Disaster Assistance Response Team, or DART, a humanitarian force of active and retired FDNY firefighters who render assistance across the United States with the Red Cross. The team’s work began in the 1980s, following Hurricane Hugo.
Since then, Fragoso and his team raced to assist people suffering in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, Hurricane Katrina and other disasters.
He was chairman of the team of 100-plus smoke eaters when he died, according to Diaz.
“(Helping out in Hurricane Hugo) was an outstanding achievement for the FDNY and Fragoso and several others wanted to continue helping others,” Diaz said. “We brought our diverse skills, traits and strength to places that truly needed help.”
Services for Fragoso will begin Monday with a viewing at Farenga Brothers Funeral Home on Allerton Avenue in the Bronx. A funeral Mass will be held in St. Lucy’s Church on Mace Ave. in the Bronx.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Fragoso’s memory can be made to the Red Cross and the Wounded Warrior Project.
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