Firefighter Frederick J. Wenzell

Syracuse Fire Department

Date of Death: April 12, 1947

Firefighter Frederick Wenzell was serving as the tillerman of Truck 7 when the apparatus struck a parked car while responding to a fire. Positioned in the exposed rear seat, he was thrown from his post and suffered critical injuries, passing away shortly thereafter. Firefighter Wenzell had served the Syracuse Fire Department for 28 years, beginning his career in 1918 and working through the transition from horse‑drawn to motorized apparatus. Widely regarded as a highly skilled driver, he spent decades navigating Syracuse’s narrow streets. At the time, tillermen operated without enclosed cabs or modern restraint systems, making the position among the most dangerous in the department.