Retired Tri-Cities firefighter dies of 9/11-related cancer

A retired Kennewick firefighter who went to Ground Zero to help with recovery in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks has died.

Steve S. Bailie, 68, died Friday in Richland.

“It is with our deepest regret and sorrow to report the following line of duty death,” the Kennewick Firefighters Union said on its Facebook page.

The union, which described Bailie as an active member of Local 1296, said he died “after a very courageous and lengthy battle with cancer, which has been directly linked to his long fire career and the time he spent in New York following the events of 09/11/2001.”

A Pasco native, Bailie lived his entire life in the Tri-Cities.

He went to work for the Kennewick Fire Department in 1978 and retired 33 years later.

Bailie “without a doubt, was one of the hardest working and most committed firefighters our city has ever seen,” the union said on Facebook.

“During his time as a Kennewick firefighter, Steve was very active on his Incident Management Team, and was one of few who responded immediately to assist with the rescue efforts in New York after the horrific events.”

Bailie traveled with Kennewick Battalion Chief Neil Hines and firefighter Tom Cole to New York City in late September 2001.

They joined with then-Benton County Fire District 1 Chief Bob Gear, and an army of police, fire and military personnel from across the country.

The four Tri-Citians were part of the management tier needed to keep hundreds of recovery workers sorting and searching through the debris of the two World Trade Center towers, according to Tri-City Herald archives.

Gear called up Bailie, Hines and Cole because they all were specially trained and had experience working on large incidents.

Thousands of first responders and survivors have suffered from respiratory ailments and a number of cancers from exposure to the toxic dust stirred up by the collapse of the twin towers.

After Bailie’s retirement in 2011, according to Local 1296, he continued to dedicate his life to the fire service by volunteering with local agencies and staying active as an Incident Management Team member.

“Even though our hearts are heavy, we could not have asked for a better brother, and our condolences go out to Steve’s family,” the union said.

Services have not yet been announced by Mueller’s Tri-Cities Funeral Home of Kennewick.