Source: http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-ems/articles/320277/

11/30/2007

Devoted N.Y. 9/11 responder dies after battle with cancer

EMS lieutenant spent 100 hours on 'The Pile' killed by cancer at 45

By Tevah Platt

Staten Island Advance

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — As an EMS worker, Lt. Brian Ellicott was best at comforting his patients: "When you're better, you'll go out dancing," he used to tell them, distracting them from their pain. Lt. Ellicott, described as a big, "teddy bear" of a guy and a father of two, did that most every day.

Sept. 11, 2001, was different; there were few injuries to dress, just toil to be done in the dust.

Lt. Ellicott spent months working in "The Pile" at Ground Zero, toiling for 100 hours in the first two weeks after the terrorist attacks, according to the Uniformed EMS Officers Union.

His partner said he'd spent those hours facing the fact that "you never know when your time is going to come."

Lt. Ellicott didn't know that his own life span may have been refigured in those first 100 hours of labor.