Mark Whitford

Firefighter
Mark Whitford
Engine 23

FDNY OFFICIAL INFORMATION ON FIREFIGHTER WHITFORD

Wrestling Champ,

Heroic Firefighter

Mark Whitford was a three- time city wrestling champion, but his best firefighting save had less to do with brawn and more to do with* quick thinking and compassion.

One night as he sat on duty in a fire truck, a couple approached him. The wife was in labor and they could not reach the hospital in time. He adapted his basic EMT training to deliver the baby in the couple's car, his brother, Dennis, said.

Whitford, 31, was a firefighter for three years with Engine Co. 23 in midtown Manhattan. He has been missing since responding to the World Trade Center attack.

Born and raised in Staten Island, Whitford graduated from Tottenville High School in 1989. From 1987 to 1989, he was the PSAL wrestling champion in his weight class. At Seton Hall University, where he graduated in 1993, he was the eastern regional wrestling champion in 1992 and 1993, and a two-time NCAA qualifier.

In high school, when Mark was a sophomore and Dennis a freshman in 1987, Dennis was also PSAL wrestling champion in a different weight class. "We were almost like twins together," said Dennis Whitford, of Sayville, N.J.

With his wife, Renee, Mark Whitford had twins of his own -13-month-old Matthew and Timothy. A year ago, the family moved from Staten Island to Washingtonville.

Another brother, Chris, of Rock Tavern, is a policeman with the First Precinct assisting in the rescue operation. Mark Whitford is also survived by a sister, Lisa Walker of Oldbridge, N.J., and his parents, Roger and Carol, of Staten Island.

-Kathryn Wellin
Copyright © 2001, Newsday, Inc.

Sunday, September 30, 2001

By CHAN-JOO MOON
ADVANCE STAFF WRITER

Firefighter Mark Whitford, 31, called his wife before going into the burning South Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. A chauffeur for Manhattan's Engine Co. 23, it was his duty to remain with the truck.

But his wife knew he would not stay outside.

"I knew he had to do what he was going to do to help people," said his wife, Renee.

It was his dream to be on a rescue company and on the night of Sept. 10, only hours before the terrorist attacks that leveled the Twin Towers, he was notified of his acceptance to Staten Island's elite Rescue 5.

"He was incredibly happy. That's why he didn't stay with the truck. It was in his blood. He was a rescuer," Mrs. Whitford said.

All six members of Engine Co. 23 remain missing.

His brother, Chris, a police officer in Manhattan's 1st Precinct, spent several days after the tragedy looking for him.

The fire truck was discovered. Mr. Whitford's bunker gear was not on the truck.

"That was Mark. He went in all equipped," Mrs. Whitford said.

In addition to being a firefighter, he was an Army Reserve Captain assigned to Fort Dix.

Mr. Whitford was remembered by his family in the following statement: "At age 31 he fully understood and appreciated each precious moment he spent with both family and friends. In his own words, 'Time does not matter, it is what we do during that time which does.' He expressed his devotion to live life to its fullest. On Sept. 11 he used the time he had to ensure that others would have this opportunity."

"The biggest thing I'll remember is he wasn't just my brother," said Mr. Whitford's younger brother, Dennis. "He was my best friend. He helped me out a lot."

Mr. Whitford leaves behind twin sons, Timothy and Matthew, who are 13 months old.

He was born in Tottenville and lived there until October of last year, when he moved to Washingtonville in Orange County, N.Y.

Mr. Whitford was on the wrestling team of Tottenville High School, where he became a three-time city PSAL champion and a three-time Advance All Star. He ranked sixth in the state in his senior year of high school.

A graduate of Seton Hall University, he won first place in the heavyweight division of the New England Conference Wrestling Championships at Boston College in 1993.

Mr. Whitford graduated with a bachelor's degree in business management in 1993. He was a financial adviser for Chase Manhattan Bank, Manhattan, until he was accepted into the Fire Department in 1997.

"His calling was to be a fireman," Mrs. Whitford said.

He worked for a year in Ladder Co. 147 in Brooklyn and Engine Co. 152 in Rosebank before joining Engine Co. 23.

On July 22, 1999, Mr. Whitford helped deliver a baby with a team of firefighters. He was in an Engine Co. 165 truck, parked on Richmond Road in front of its Richmond station, when a man pulled up behind the truck and called for help in delivering his wife's baby. A healthy, six-pound, five-ounce baby girl was delivered that day.

Mr. Whitford enjoyed rock climbing, scuba diving and repelling.

He was a parishioner of St. Mary's R.C. Church, Washingtonville.

Surviving are his wife; his sons; another brother, Chris; his parents, Carol and Roger; a sister, Lisa Walker; and his grandparents, Edward and Rose Whitford.

The memorial mass will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. in St. Mary's Church, 42 Goshen Road, Washingtonville.

For those who can't attend the official memorial service in Washingtonville, a memorial mass will be held tomorrow at 11 a.m. in Our Lady Help of Christians R.C. Church, Tottenville.