FDNY honors EMT Frederick D. Whiteside with a plaque dedication ceremony in the Bronx

November 23, 2024

The FDNY honored EMT Frederick D. Whiteside with a plaque dedication ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, inside PSAC2 in the Bronx.

EMT Whiteside, a 22-year veteran of the FDNY, was working at a New York City 911 Dispatch Center in the Bronx when he suffered a cardiac arrest on Nov. 17, 2023. He was 43 years old.

"Together, we gather to salute a man who loved working for the FDNY and who joined the Department just seven months after September 11th," FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said. "Today, as we place a plaque on the wall in his honor, let us remember how Frederick connected with patients and with the EMTs who he was guiding in dispatch. Let us forge connections as he did when handling calls, treating patients and dealing with each other. When we pass this plaque, let us remember that he was leader and aspire to be more like him."

Chief of Department John Esposito said: "Frederick Whiteside was a dedicated and compassionate EMT-both on the streets and on the radio. He had the skills we look for in all members: empathy, compassion, bravery and selflessness. He was a great mentor to the next generation of our medical professionals and made sure he passed down his knowledge and experience to others."

EMT Whiteside joined the FDNY on April 19, 2002. He spent his career in Brooklyn and the Bronx, working in EMS Divisions 2 and 3 before moving to EMS dispatch in 2019. He was the 1,160th member of the FDNY to make the Supreme Sacrifice in the line of duty.