From the Ashes...
Phoenix Advocates was born out of the unthinkable grief of three fire widows. Celeste Flynn, Sara Laird and Clara Fenelon met as a result of their shared trauma. Upon meeting, it was quickly discovered that all three widows had a strong desire to make first responders jobs safer so that other families don’t have to live the nightmare of a Line of Duty Death. In the spring of 2024 we welcomed Jenn Alcorn as a board member and expanded our mission to include law enforcement. Celeste Flynn's husband, Lieutenant Nathan (Nate) Flynn, was killed on July 23, 2018. He was a thirteen-year veteran of Howard County Fire & Rescue Services, Maryland. The cause of Nate’s fire was determined to be lightning induced failure of the residential Corrugated Stainless-Steel Tubing (CSST), used in the home's propane delivery system. In addition to his wife Celeste, Nate is survived by five children: Alex, Gavin, twins Teagan & Connor, and Breccan. Sara Laird’s husband, Battalion Chief Joshua (Josh) Laird, was killed on August 11, 2021. Josh was a twenty-one-year veteran of Frederick County Department of Fire and Rescue Services, Maryland. The cause of Josh’s fire was determined to be lightning induced failure of the residential CSST, used in the home's propane delivery system. In addition to his wife Sara, Josh is survived by his daughters Erin and Madelyn. Clara Fenelon’s fiancé, Firefighter/Paramedic Kenneth (Kenny) Lacayo was killed on January 24, 2022. Kenny was a life member of Wheaton Rescue and a career firefighter with Baltimore City Fire Department, Maryland. The final report on Kenny’s fire and death is pending a criminal investigation for arson. At the time of the fire the property was vacant and condemned due to a previous fire. In addition to Clara, Kenny is survived by their beloved doodle Zoey. Jenn Alcorn's husband, Lieutenant Andrew "Stew" Alcorn, died on August 22, 2021, and was a 14-year veteran of the Frederick City Police Department. Stew died suddenly at home, on a Sunday, due to what was determined to be severe coronary artery disease after suffering a pulmonary embolus most likely as a result of dehydration from a triathlon he completed the day before his death. In May 2022 Stew's death was determined by the State of Maryland Workers Compensation Commission to have been causal to his occupation as a police officer. In addition to his wife Jenn, Stew is survived by his children Drew, Mackenzie, and Addison. United in Progress...
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