A mother’s love to honor her hero son was on display at Boylston Street’s Engine 33 and Ladder 15 station.
That’s where Kathy Crosby-Bell fulfilled a promise.
“When Michael died, I was told his hose never got water in that awful fire,” Crosby-Bell said at the station Tuesday recalling one of the worst fires the Back Bay had seen. “At Michael’s gravesite, I swore to him I would fix it.”
She was on hand to help introduce the “Snap Tite Warrior Fire Hose” that was funded by a donation from the Last Call Foundation. Mayor Michelle Wu dedicated the hose to Firefighter Michael R. Kennedy, 33, and Fire Lt. Edward J. Walsh Jr., 43.
Both jakes died fighting a wind-whipped blaze at 298 Beacon St. on March 26, 2014. Boston Fire Department Commissioner Paul Burke said this new hose will be able to better withstand the heat from such a blaze — and save those who come to the rescue.
BOSTON, MA – February 14: Dedication of a new fire hose to the Boston Fire Department in memory of firefighter Michael Kennedy on February 14, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts (Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)BOSTON, MA – February 14: Boston Fire Commissioner Paul Burke, left and Boston Firefighters Local 718 President, Sam Dillon, far right, along with General President at the IAFF, Edward Kelly hold onto a new fire retardant fire hose as Kathy Crosby Bell, who’s son Michael Kennedy, died while battling a massive Back Bay fire holds her sons portrait with Mayor Michelle Wu during a dedication of the new fire hose to the Boston Fire Department in memory of Kennedy on February 14, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts (Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)BACK BAY BLAZE: Firefighters battle flames at 298 Beacon St. on March 26, during a fire that killed two firefighters. Civil suits have been filed since the fire.BOSTON, MA – February 14: Sitting next to Boston Fire Commissioner Paul Burke, Mayor Michelle Wu wipes a tear while listening to Kathy Crosby Bell, who’s son, Michael Kennedy, died while battling a massive Back Bay fire during a dedication of a new fire hose to the Boston Fire Department in memory of Kennedy on February 14, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts (Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)BOSTON, MA – February 14: Mayor Michelle Wu gets emotional during a dedication of a new fire hose to the Boston Fire Department in memory of Michael Kennedy, who died while battling a massive Back Bay fire. February 14, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts (Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
