LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) — On Friday, after receiving the news of retired fire captain Richard Gossman’s passing, Captain Kenny Amback went straight to the small sign outside Jeffersontown Fire Station 2 to begin writing his message.
“Our heartfelt condolences to the family of Captain Rick Gossman,” the sign read. “You will be missed.”
The ‘family’ referenced on the sign is the biological family of Gossman, but it could just as easily be directed at the family of coworkers at the fire department. Amback first met Gossman when he started as a firefighter back in 1992, and credited him as a mentor and a key reason he is a captain today.
“He was just one of the people that we always looked up to,” Amback said. “[H]is attitude and his spirit never changed. He was just always committed and I think we could take something away from that.”
Gossman medically retired from the department about two years ago, following his cancer diagnosis, but Amback said he continued to be regularly involved with the community work being done by the Jeffersontown Fire Department (formerly McMahan Fire Department). Despite his failing health, he made it out to a recent fundraising drive for the WHAS11 Crusade for Children.
“He really grabbed it by the horns, and there was no stone left unturned,” Amback recalled. “And that says a lot about his character and his commitment to the fire department.”
It will take some time for the loss to sink in with the teammates at the fire station. However, the crew was quick to point out all the places you could find Gossman’s name to this day. Several plaques will forever hold his name.
And, hanging amongst the current gear, you’ll still find a helmet and a jacket with “GOSSMAN” imprinted across the back. They belong to his son Josh, who is now a firefighter at his father’s former station.
“I think his spirit will always be here with us,” Amback said.
Both Gossman’s family and his fellow firefighters hope his death will serve as a reminder for the importance of further research and protection against cancer for firefighters. Cancer is now the leading cause of death for firefighters in America.
►Contact reporter Rob Harris at rjharris@whas11.com. Follow him on Twitter (@robharristv) and Facebook.