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From G's TSL;

Note I considered Larry both a friend and a Mentor his style was of a

day gone by and at times I miss the style.

It is with deep regret that we announce the death of our friend &

Firefighting Brother, Larry . Larry, a veteran Firefighter, noted

fire service author, speaker, instructor and just plain nice guy,

passed away yesterday (Sunday) at his home in Corpus Christi, Texas,

after a 7-month battle with lung cancer at the age of 63. Larry leaves

behind his wife, Ann, a daughter Kayce, a stepson , and

a brother Mark. Larry’s 40-plus years of dedication to the fire service

left its very positive mark on so many in North America. While his

focus was often directed towards small-town USA and rural fire

departments – his passion for teaching and writing covered many aspects

of fire and emergency services.

Larry's often " direct " style of educating, instructing and simply

making a point (always right!) while ruffling feathers from time to

time, has made a major and very positive impact on so many

firefighters, departments and communities...including the town we

reside in. Never one to be PC or beat around the bush, his passion for

doing what is right when it came to firefighters or those we serve was

always his top priority... " like it or not " . And while initially,

Larry's observations were sometimes looked upon at a distance by those

afraid to acce

pt reality, time always proved that what he said,

suggested or taught-was the right thing to do. The classic " Larry

reality checks " have resulted in so many positive differences and

changes in leadership, staffing, operations, firefighter safety and

survival throughout North America,

While I had the chance to first meet Larry in the early 70's through my

involvement with ISFSI, Larry got his start well before that, in the

1960’s with the Canonsburg VFD in Pennsylvania. Then it was off to the

Air Force where he served in several capacities in their fire service.

He worked for many years in industrial fire protection and loss

prevention with Industrial Risk Insurers while at the same time being

active in the leadership of the International Society of Fire Service

Instructors. Upon his retirement from IRI, Larry moved to Texas and was

a Staff Division Chief with the Refinery Terminal Fire Company and then

Industrial Emergency Services. He was also the Vice President of GBW

Associates, LLC and one of the founders of the Rural Firefighting

Institute.

At the wishes of the family, a memorial service is being planned for a

date sometime in August – more details will follow when they are

released. The family also recognizes that Larry’s passion for making

the fire service better touched so many people ...and the family is

encouraging folks that knew Larry to send their thoughts and

remembrances in

an email to: ldavis@...

Those emails will be collected and posted at www.gotbigwater.com for

all to see as a tribute to Larry’s work.

Without a doubt, Larry had a major impact on the way I personally and

professionally see things in the fire service. Larry's style of cutting

through the B S along with his ability to show the common sense side of

this business left a very clear mark on myself and so many who were

lucky enough to have met him, or know him. Rest in Peace Larry.

Our condolences to the entire family and friends.

--

Lou Molino, Sr.

FF/NREMT-B/FSI/EMSI

From the road some where

(Cell Phone)