What a life! He sure made BFD proud. I think his best book was his first...Thirty Years On the Line.
He was a first rate observer of his fellow firemen. His descriptions of Slim, The Runt, the Hokey-Pokey Axe Murderer, and those clowns at Rescue One are hilarious. His tribute chapter on Freddy Clause is priceless. His recounting the recovery of his father's near fatal injury at the Maverick Square collapse in November, 1942 is simply beautiful.
And let's not forget his role in getting NASA designed SCBAs on the rigs!
A WW2 VETERAN & WELL KNOWN FIRE SERVICE FIGURE.... at 93 yrs of age.... RET from the BFD after 40 YRS OTJ.... REST IN PEACE BROTHER......THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE BOTH MILITARY (US NAVY WW2) & BFD.....PRAYERS FOR THE COMFORT OF THE FAMILIES..... books by BOSTON AUTHOR LEO STAPLETON
Stapleton was a popular speaker at fire conferences and seminars across the country and has received numerous awards for his contributions to the fire service, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from Fire Engineering magazine in 2006.
I met him at the Firehouse Expo in Baltimore one year. He signed a couple of his books for my son and me.
Just a brief meeting but I enjoyed the talk we had.
Rest In Peace Sir!!
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