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Fallen Firefighter Gets Last Call

STOCKDALE – Hundreds of local firefighters came to the Stockdale fire hall Thursday to bid farewell to one of their fallen brothers.

Roscoe Fire Capt. Sean Whiten, 47, of Stockdale, died Saturday morning in the emergency room of Monongahela Valley Hospital.

Washington County Coroner Tim Warco said Whiten was in cardiac arrest when he was brought to the hospital.

Before being transported to the hospital, the state-certified training instructor and junior firefighter mentor collapsed at a structural burn training session at the Westmoreland County Public Safety Training Center in Smithton.

Members of more than 30 regional fire departments came to the fire hall in honor of Whiten, who had more than 20 years of service.

In a grass lot across the street from the hall, 127 fire trucks were lined up.

Marquee signs at surrounding businesses thanked him for his dedication to the job.

A couple of Roscoe fire trucks parked next to the fire hall were draped in black strips of cloth across the fire department name.

It was a quiet and somber scene as waves of uniformed firefighters filed into the funeral, many sobbing with their hats off and heads down.

Across a set of railroad tracks, two fire trucks sat facing each other with their ladders extended and crossing. An American flag hung between them.

Stockdale Fire Chief Al Marcy said more than 1,000 family, friends, firefighters and emergency personnel came to the service.

He said the impressive turnout showed the impact Whiten had made on his hometown and many other Mid-Mon Valley communities.

“This is incredible. That shows how much respect everybody had for him,” Marcy said.

Marcy said he would remember Whiten as a friendly firefighter with a big heart.

“He was a friend before he was a firefighter,” Marcy said. “He was a person you could laugh or joke with … and the next second, you’re talking about fire and you just knew he knew what he was talking about.”

Roscoe Fire Chief Todd Mauk spoke softly about Whiten before entering the hall.

The chief said the ripple Whiten’s death has created in the emergency services community was well represented.

“The support from the other services’ departments is just outstanding,” Mauk said. “Sean had a big influence across the Valley and southwestern Pennsylvania.”

Washington County Sheriff Sam Romano said Whiten made a memorable impression on him in the few times the two met.

“He was a very, very nice guy,” Romano said. “You can tell he was a well liked guy.”

Roscoe resident Terry Todd, a former Stockdale firefighter and longtime friend of Whiten’s, walked outside of the hall with his 3-year-old son, Brody.

As his son admired the many fire trucks, Todd said Whiten was an energetic role model who was active with youth.

“He was always nice with all the kids,” Todd said. “My son was in day care and he brought the truck up and had a little presentation and he showed them all of the turnout gear. He did stuff like that for little kids.

“He was always smiling, positive and upbeat. You remember him. And his physical presence; he was a big guy, so you’d remember that.”

Todd said Thursday’s ceremony was the ultimate homage to a devoted firefighter.

“You measure your life by the friends you have and you see something like this and it shows he did something with his life,” Todd said.

After a 45-minute service that was closed to the media, a group of firefighters saluted Whiten as his coffin was placed into a silver hearse parked in front of the fire hall.

A Washington County 911 dispatcher broadcast Whiten’s “last call” on an open frequency that could be heard from one of the firefighter’s radios.

Whiten’s father, Robert Whiten Sr., is a former Charleroi fire chief, and his brother, Robert Whiten Jr., is the current fire chief in Charleroi.

His son, Sean Robert, 17, is a junior firefighter.

Also surviving him are his wife, Linda, and his mother, Sylvia.

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