The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) staff learned late Monday afternoon that Heather Westphal, 33, manager of membership marketing for the association, had drowned on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. She and her sister-in-law Tonya Cataldo, 39, were swept off rocks by large waves near Queen’s Bath as they walked with a group along the coast. News reports indicated that Heather’s husband Jason attempted to rescue them but could not because the current was so strong. The family had just started a vacation in Hawaii.
“All of us in the IAFC community are devastated by this news,” said Mark Light, executive director of the IAFC. “We learned of Heather’s death Monday afternoon and have been in touch with the local fire department in Hawaii, whose firefighters tried to save her. We have not yet talked with her family but stand ready to give them our heartfelt support.”
Heather was part of the IAFC’s Marketing and Corporate Relations Department. She joined the IAFC in February 2007 and lived in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Jason.
“She represented the best in service and commitment to serve the IAFC and the international fire service community,” Light said. “She was a true professional, respected by her colleagues and fire chiefs across the globe. As a testament to her impact, condolences are coming in from around the nation and world.”
Although Heather did not have a background in fire service, “her interest and commitment were so strong that you might think she did,” Light said. “She loved her work, and she made a difference to the fire/EMS community.”
Heather contributed to recruiting IAFC members by producing a new video called “Together We Are One,” Light said. “It tells the IAFC story of unity to serve our members and their communities. We will dedicate this video to Heather because she put her personal stamp of excellence on it and it will have a lasting impact.”
She also contributed to her community by volunteering at a local nursing home. She enjoyed reading to the residents on a regular basis and whenever there was a special need to keep someone there company.
Heather was popular and admired among her colleagues. She had high personal performance standards, and she touched the work lives of each of her colleagues in some special way. She also brought intellectual brilliance to her projects, her colleagues recalled.
Her colleagues had nominated her for the IAFC’s quarterly award for the most outstanding employee, noting her “tremendous enthusiasm, her dedication to the IAFC and her willingness to always to assist her colleagues and take on additional assignments.” The IAFC is honoring her by posthumously naming her Employee of the Quarter and will give the award to her family.
Heather is the only IAFC employee in recent history who has died while employed by the association.
“We will miss her sparkling personality, her humor, and her endless joy,” Light said. “She was one of our brightest stars, and we will miss her.”
More: www.iafc.org
