JCV-In Memory of a Firefighter Traditional Geocache
JCV-In Memory of a Firefighter
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Placed in memory of Firefighter Chad Wessels. Actual gravesite is at 30 54.083 by 097 55.566
This cache was placed to honor not only Firefighter Chad Wessels, but to also honor all firefighters who have given their lives while saving the lives of others.
Excerpt from the Press Release follows:
The Briggs Volunteer Fire Department regrets to announce the death of one of their own. At approximately 2 AM on December 11, 2005, Captain Chad Wessels died in a vehicle accident while responding to a house fire.
Captain Wessels is survived by his wife, Melinda Wessels, his ten year old daughter Arielle, his 7 month old daughter Kaylee, his mother Vicki, his brother Brian, and numerous family and friends. Chad Wessels reached out with a smile, a hug and always, a helping hand.
That's how the 32-year-old volunteer firefighter is being remembered in his small central Texas community of Briggs.
Wessels was killed early Sunday as he drove a 1,200 gallon tanker to a house fire. The vehicle veered off the road, struck several trees and exploded into flames.
He was a career firefighter at Fort Hood Fire Department and you could find him working part-time at Marble Falls Fire Co. or volunteering at Briggs. His wife, Melinda, is a 911 dispatcher.
His death has left his friends numb.
"Anywhere that boy went, he was loved," said Briggs Asst. Chief Gerda McQueen, struggling to control his emotions. "Everyone knew Chad..."
McQueen said Wessels was the first person to pitch in, and not just at the fire station. "If there was an activity at the community center, especially involving kids, he was there...If something was broken and needed fixing, he did it."
Wessels was driving the water tender that he kept at his residence. "We didn't have enough room for all of our equipment. Chad offered to keep the truck..."
McQueen said he was proud to call Wessels one of his best friends. "I miss him. It's a loss to hundreds if not thousands..."
When his co-workers at Fort Hood Fire Department learned of his death, they started notifying colleagues who were off-duty.
"We were thinking about the people we should call. I said we should just get the central Texas directory and start dialing...He was that well known," said Capt. Ernesto Cantu.
The captain said "Chaddie" put people at ease the minute they met. "My own daughter doesn't talk much to the firefighters here. But, the second she met Chaddie, they hit it off. They were talking like they'd known each other forever..."
Wessels built the water tender that crashed early Sunday. "He had a love for the fire service I've never seen before," Cantu said. "He lived it. Everything was about the fire service."
When he wasn't working at Fort Hood, you could find him working part-time at Marble Falls Fire Co. or volunteering at Briggs. His wife, Melinda, is a 911 dispatcher.
"If you gave him a task, he did it and more. He'd find other jobs and just do them. He was a beautiful man." Cantu said.
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