For countless firefighters and their families, Hal Bruno was a reliable voice of reason and compassion for the U.S. Fire Service. On Friday, July 17, Hal Bruno’s legacy was celebrated when he was posthumously inducted to the Firehouse Hall of Fame during Firehouse Expo’s Legends and Icons Celebration in Baltimore.
Hal’s keen understanding of the connection between politics and the fire service were unparalleled. Countless firefighters relied on his Fire Politics column in Firehouse Magazine to provide the information and insights they needed to navigate the scrutiny from their City Halls to the halls of Congress.
But his mark on the fire service goes beyond politics. As a charter member of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s Board of Directors, it’s chairman from 1999 to 2008 and chairman emeritus until his death in November 2011 at age 83, Hal set the standard in caring for the families, honoring the fallen and preventing firefighter deaths and injuries.
Hal’s approach was straightforward: Care for the families of our fallen heroes as you care for your own.
He worked tirelessly with the Congressional Fire Services Institute to guarantee the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act was passed. Hal wanted to be certain that the families of firefighters who died in the line of duty from heart attack or stroke received the benefits they so deserved.
For these reasons – and so many more – Hal Bruno will forever be recognized as one of the most iconic figures of the American fire service.
