GUILDERLAND — The families of Helen Fisher and William Slater are dealing this week with their tragic deaths.

The husband and wife died last Thursday in an early-morning fire in their home in suburban Guilderland, at 206 Woodscape Drive.

The volunteer firefighters who rushed to the scene in the black of night are dealing with the loss, too.
"Fire fighters give up their time and their family time to respond to calls all hours of the day. They come from all walks of life and all stages of life," said David Clancy, chief of the McKownville Fire Department, which was first on the scene of last Thursday’s fire.
"Their mission is to protect life. And it’s tough to deal with when you can’t do that," he said. "You have a sense of helplessness. You’re not doing what you were trained to do."
Stephanie Pelham, Fisher’s daughter, said the family is asking that memorial contributions for her mother be sent to the McKownville Fire Department. "I sent them a letter to thank them," she said. "It had to be very hard for them."

Fisher, who was 70, had been in frail health and Slater, 58, was devoted to caring for her in recent years, said James Slater, William's younger brother.
William Slater was one of nine siblings, raised in rural Granville, N.Y. His parents had died when he was a child. "He watched over us; he was a big brother," said James Slater. "That’s what he did for Helen, just like when we were kids."

Before Fisher got sick, Slater said, the couple enjoyed antiquing, picnicking, gardening, and cooking.

Slater was a mechanical engineer who, among many accomplishments, designed the machine that puts the back pocket on Levi jeans, said his brother. Fisher, an Albany native, had pursued a variety of careers after earning a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University. (See obituaries.)
"She excelled and won awards in whatever she did," said her daughter. Fisher loved words, and was skilled and confident enough to do the New York Times crossword puzzle in pen, said Pelham.
James Slater described the fire as "an awful shock," a terrible way to lose someone.
"You can't prepare for that," he said.

Answering the call
"The call came in about 1:30 in the morning Thursday," said Clancy, after a neighbor had seen the flames and called 911. Woodscape Drive is in McKownville, not far from the firehouse.
"Because of its location, we were off the floor very fast," said Clancy, adding that 206 Woodscape is right behind the home of one of the firefighters.
"It only takes five or six minutes before we’re at the station," he said. "Some of the guys come out of their house and can run to the station."

The crew knew, driving to the scene, that there would smoke and flames; it wasn’t a false alarm.
"We had a visual already," said Clancy. There were also initial reports "of the possibility of residents being in the home," he said. "These were conflicted as this progressed," he said, with some reports saying that Fisher was in the hospital, and not at home.
"When you get a Signal 30," he said, referring to a building that’s fully involved, "you’re aware someone’s belongings, someone’s property is burning. You’re aware of trying to save people’s belongings. Lots of times, they’re outside, watching their life history burn...."
The thought that someone could be inside the blazing house "definitely changes your psyche," said Clancy.
"It ups the ante," he said. "It makes you more aware and in tune. Everybody is at a heightened awareness. The urgency is even greater."

As the McKownville crew rolled up to 206 Woodscape Thursday morning, several things happened at the same time, Clancy said.
"For the first truck in, the primary focus is search and rescue," he said, "and you want to secure a water source."
He went on, "Then, you look at other resources that are needed — mutual aid, EMS, Niagara Mohawk to shut off power."

Help arrived on the scene from the Westmere, Fort Hunter, Guilderland, and North Bethlehem fire departments, said Clancy and from the Western Turnpike Rescue Squad and Guilderland EMS.

In command

These various groups are coordinated through a chief incident command, which is established immediately, said Clancy. Tony Cortese, the assistant chief of the McKownville Fire Department, was the first officer on the scene so he assumed the lead until Clancy arrived.
"Tony and I had a visual and verbal exchange," said Clancy. "I assumed incident command and was in charge from then on in."

Clancy, 45, has been with the department for 15 years. He works for General Electric Plastics and had been involved earlier in a GE industrial fire brigade, he said.
His McKownville neighbors, long-time volunteer firefighters, talked him into joining the department, he said. What keeps him at it" "It’s a link to the community," he said.

He’s been chief for three years, a job that takes 15 to 20 hours a week. He credits his wife, Maura, for making his volunteer work possible. The Clancys have three young children.
"I don't think any of us could do this without a supportive spouse," he said.
Last Thursday morning, those who arrived on the scene first "gained entry into the house," said Clancy, "but they were driven back."
He went on, "I ultimately made the decision not to send them back in; it was too dangerous."

The crew had made it to the top of the stairs in the two-story frame house, he said, but had been driven back by the heat and flames.
"They did a primary search into the living-room area," he said. "It was absolutely black at that point. It’s all done by feel. A lot of smoke banks down inside the structure. Even if it’s the brightest daylight outside, it’s very dark inside," he said of a building that is fully involved.

Investigation
"It took about 45 minutes to get it under control," said Clancy. "At that point, we were fighting hot spots or small isolated spots. We went in on secondary searches and again we didn’t find anything."

Word had come back, he said, that Fisher had been released from the hospital and was home.
"We went back in and located the first victim," said Clancy. That was William Slater’s body, he said; Helen Fisher’s body was found after that.

Clancy declined commenting further on where the bodies were found or on the cause of the fire. He said that information will be released when the Town of Guilderland Fire Cause and Origin Team releases its findings.

The team is working with the investigative unit of the Albany County District Attorney’s Office and with the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control.

Sergeant Daniel McNally, with the Guilderland Police Department, told The Enterprise Tuesday that he couldn’t comment on the cause of the fire. "It’s still under investigation," he said. "There are still things that have to be put together."

McNally said it took time to get coroner’s reports, autopsy reports, and toxicology reports and to coordinate with the different agencies involved.

He estimated it could be another week before information is released to the press and public.
Asked if he could comment at least on whether findings show if the fire was accidental, McNally reiterated, "It’s still under investigation."

Clancy did tell The Enterprise that, although there had been initial concern because of several fires in the Albany area caused by arson, "I feel fairly certain this was an accidental fire."

Clancy also reported that one cat died in the fire, but the couple's two dogs were rescued by neighbors and police off the back porch area.

McNally said he had heard 14 different families had offered to adopt the dogs.

Richard Savage, director of animal services for Guilderland, confirmed that 14 families had expressed interest in adopting the dogs. He is waiting until he talks to Slater’s and Fisher’s family members, he said on Wednesday, before making any decisions.

The dogs — a boxer mix and a Jack Russell terrier — are staying at Albany County Veterinary Hospital, said Savage. Guilderland’s animal shelter is under reconstruction and not currently housing animals, and the dogs are comfortable with Albany County Veterinary, Savage said, because that’s the practice Slater and Fisher had used.
"The dogs are in excellent shape," said Savage.

"The healing process"

After the fire was out, Clancy made the decision to call in a crisis stress management team for a debriefing.
"Up until eight months ago, we hadn’t had a significant fire in McKownville in six years," he said. "Within a month-and-a-half, we’ve had two on Woodscape. And now, to have fire-related deaths, that’s unusual for us. That hadn’t happened in at least 30 years."

Clancy went on about his decision to call in the crisis management team through the Rensselaer Sheriff’s Department.
"My observation of the emotions in the crew drove me to seek this out," he said. "I observed some reactions and I was worried they may be longer lasting. I had no experience with it."
Clancy declined commenting on the emotions his crew experienced, but, he said, "I can speak directly of my own. When you make a decision no one is to enter," he said, referring to his call not to let a crew search the house again after flames and heat drove the first crew out, "it gives you cause to pause. It’s a tough action to take. It has to be dealt with."
The crisis management team worked with the group of firefighters as a whole, Clancy said. "You share your emotions and your feelings to start to deal with it," something that is not always easy for a fire fighter, he said. "That allows the healing process to begin."
Clancy went on, "Our town departments as a whole are a close-knit group. And we’re tight within the departments. We socialize together. Our spouses and children play together. Support comes out of that group. We’re leaning on each other to get through this...
"You’ll never get me to say it will solve the problem," Clancy said of the debriefing session. "But it will help us to move forward. The crisis team did a phenomenal job. Over time, this department will heal.
"Our loss, our grief is nowhere near what the family suffers...," said Clancy, his voice trailing off.
However, he concluded in a robust tone, "I’m confident the crews did absolutely everything they could have done. What it is is what it is. The work was outstanding."