St. Patrick’s Day celebrations this weekend will include the celebration of a fallen Cleveland firefighter. On Sunday, Johnny Tetrick and his family will be honored ahead of the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade.
Tetrick died less than a week before Thanksgiving in November 2022. He was fatally hit by a car on I-90 while responding to a crash.
The veteran firefighter spent 25 of his 27 years on the job at Station 22 in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood.
“At a busy place like this, it’s rare to see a guy stay there that long,” said Capt. Tim Todten.
Before Todten was a supervisor at Station 22, he worked at another nearby fire station on the same shift at Tetrick.
“He had this devilish grin when he knew he got your goat about a few things,” Todten laughed.
For all his good-natured ribbing, Tetrick was also known as a steadfast leader.
“He was tough. He was loving at the same time,” Todten said. “He was kind of like the shift father. When Johnny worked out, everybody would work out. Johnny cooked all the time and other guys would be in the kitchen cooking.”
Cleveland Fire Lt. Mike Norman added, “He was a fixture. Johnny had been here for so long and served for so long. He was so well-regarded. He was one of the best-liked firefighters on the job, really.”
Watch our coverage here as family, friends and coworkers recall Tetrick’s selflessness and work ethic:
Tetrick’s turnout coat hangs high in the main bay in Station 22, and a bronze plaque with his face smiles at the building’s entrance.
In the days and months following his death, tributes poured in from other fire departments and community members.
An Eagle Scout crafted a pair of benches in honor of the fallen firefighter; others created a custom baseball bat, an engraved wooden flag and numerous notes and well-wishes.
“I’m getting goosebumps now that you mention it,” said Todten of the community support. “It was amazing. We saw people that we never expected to come in here. They spoke to us, gave us a hug.”
He recalled a similar showing of support during Tetrick’s funeral services. Watch here when city leaders paid tribute:
“It was pretty breathtaking actually,” Todten said of the procession to the funeral service. “I don’t usually choke up but I did that day as we turned down 9th Street and all our fire department apparatus were there. I think that was the only time that week that I cried. It was telling. The community was great, the city was great.”
Tetrick’s name is already etched in the Cleveland Fallen Firefighters Memorial near the Browns stadium. It joins dozens of other names of firefighters who have died in the line of duty. All of the names will be read ahead of Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.
“A lot of times, we’re honoring someone whose sacrifice was in the 60s or the 40s. So it’ll be a little different this year because Johnny was so close to so many, so well-known on the department,” Lt. Norman said.
He said all of the names are a reminder of the dangers of the job.
“We’ll risk a lot to save a lot. We come on knowing that’s the possibility of it. So when someone makes that ultimate sacrifice, it impacts all of us. And as long as their names are spoken, they’re not forgotten,” he said.
That’s the goal of many of Tetrick’s coworkers, who say they’ll never forget him.
“I just don’t think Johnny’s a person you can ever forget. And as firemen we can never forget our own that do what we do everyday and put your life on the line,” Todten said. “Just remember Johnny [Sunday]. And if you’re out somewhere, raise a glass, think about him for two seconds. We all should.”
The ceremony to honor Cleveland’s fallen firefighters will take place at 12:25 p.m. Sunday at the memorial at the corner of Erieside Ave and Lerner Way. Tetrick’s daughters will lay the wreath at the memorial.
