Firefighter Thomas Hetzel of Ladder 13 was a 5-year veteran of the FDNY and danced the polka. Proud of his German heritage, he also played German music, went to German festivals, and cooked German meals – both at home and at the firehouse. At 18 he became a volunteer firefighter. In 1995 he was inducted into the FDNY, manifesting a dream he had had since he was a small boy. Daddy to one 18-month-old daughter, Hetzel and his wife went to Colorado every year to ski the slopes of the Rockies.