When Daniel Capuano died in the line of duty on Monday morning he left behind three grieving families: his wife, children, parents and brothers, and his Chicago and Evergreen Park fire department families.
“All of his families are having a pretty tough time but you have to keep going, the bell still rings and you cannot stop,” Evergreen Park Fire Chief Ronald Kleinhaus said. “Danny wouldn’t want it any other way.”
The 15-year veteran Chicago firefighter was killed Monday morning when he fell through an elevator shaft ventilating a fire inside a South Side warehouse.
Capuano is believed to have walked unsuspectingly into the elevator shaft in heavy smoke. The cause of the fire and the building owner, who may have removed the elevator without a proper permit, are both under investigation by the city.
In addition to his job for the Chicago Fire Department, Capuano had also worked the past 16 years as a part-time firefighter/paramedic for Evergreen Park. His last shift for the suburb was Dec. 10.
Kleinhaus said he received a phone call early Monday morning from his deputy chief informing him of Capuano’s death. The 42-year-old firefighter’s colleagues in Evergreen Park were left stunned and shaken by the news.
“We had the deacon from St. Bernadette Church, Fr. Benedict, stop by on way back from being out of town,” the Evergreen Park fire chief said. “He sat for awhile with the guys in the kitchen.”
Kleinhaus said Capuano -- who was called “Fredo” by his fellow firefighters because of his resemblance to John Cazale from “The Godfather” -- came with glowing recommendations from the Palos Park and Lemont, where he started his career as a firefighter/paramedic.
Kleinhaus was assistant chief when Capuano applied at the Evergreen Park Fire Department in 1999.
“He had a background and some experience working in Lemont and Palos Park,” Kleinhaus said. “He came with great references and he lived up to those references.”
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Capuano was known as a hard worker, and someone younger firefighters and paramedics could turn to for advice or questions about approaching a certain task.
“He went the extra mile,” Kleinhaus said. “If you asked him for something he’d be on the way before you hung up the phone.”
A good family man and devoted husband who was active in his sons’ hockey league, Kleinhaus called Capuano irreplaceable, who only wanted to be known as a good fireman.
“It’s tough,” he said. “You just have to remember the good he did when he was here.”
Although Capuano lived in Mt. Greenwood with his wife, Julie, a Chicago Public Schools teacher, and his three children, he had strong ties to Evergreen Park. Both his youngest sons attend Queen of Martyrs school, where Capuano had been an active parishioner.
Evergreen Park’s fire personnel will participate in some of the ceremonies planned for the fallen firefighter’s visitation and funeral later this week at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Mt. Greenwood.
Kleinhaus said they’ve already been in touch with Deputy Commissioner John McNicholas of the Chicago Fire Department, where many of Evergreen Park’s 109 part-time firefighters also work.
“In my 38 years as a fireman I’ve been to too many funerals for firefighters killed in the line of duty,” the fire chief said. “We’ve been blessed it’s never stricken our department.”
Until now.
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