Lincoln Quappe, 38, was a 16-year FDNY veteran. Serving as a member of Rescue 2 was a dream come true. He had a reputation as an aggressive rescue firefighter, “relentless in his drive to improve his skills.” He welded in his spare time, adding appendages to the training tower so he and the team could practice specialized rescue techniques.
At home, he was all play with his son, 8 and daughter, 5. He was “a true sit-down-on-the-floor, play-G.I.-Joe, play-Barbies, build-Legos, 100% kind of dad,” said his wife. If he was on duty when his son played baseball or soccer, his wife would call him with play-by-play details as the game progressed. He took his kids on nature trips to teach them about herons and egrets and ospreys.