Injured Firefighter Gets an Emotional Welcome Home

The first stop on Dennis Silgen’s way home from the hospital Monday was Fire Station 90 in Van Nuys, where his buddies couldn’t resist teasing him for wearing a splashy blue Hawaiian-print shirt.

His wife, Laura, couldn’t find anything else with sleeves big enough to fit over Silgen’s two arm casts--reminders of a Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter crash he survived two weeks ago.

The March 23 crash killed three colleagues and an 11-year-old girl they were airlifting from a car crash near Griffith Park. Only Silgen and the pilot, Steve Robinson of Oak Park, survived. Robinson was released from the hospital Friday. Silgen and his family can’t forget the pain the accident caused.

“As soon as we knew Denny was out of critical condition, our joy was incredible,” Laura Silgen said. “But it would soon turn to excruciating sadness, thinking of the others. It’s real hard to be on the other side when you know there is so much pain out there.”

But Monday was a day to savor his homecoming.

Balloons and a “Welcome Home Miracle Man” sign hung outside Silgen’s Thousand Oaks house while family members--including a son and brother who are also firefighters--hovered by the open front door, anxiously awaiting his arrival.

A call came from the ambulance carrying Silgen, 52, from USC University Hospital that Silgen was 10 minutes out of the Van Nuys pit stop. He would finally be home within half an hour.

“God, 20 minutes takes a long time,” his wife said, peeking out the window between paces by the door.

The rest of the family hurriedly made sure everything was just right. Son-in-law Craig Calabrese even dusted the tops of the frames in the front hall that hold the graduation pictures of Silgen’s three children.

Family friend Rich Alexander looked for the video camera.

“This is exciting, like bringing a baby home,” he said.

“Better,” sister-in-law Muriel said.

Someone yelled “Denny’s here!” and the family ran out to greet the ambulance backing up under an arch of red and white balloons.

Still in the driveway, on a stretcher, Silgen was greeted with cheers and yet more jokes about his shirt. Laura Silgen kissed her husband and placed his only granddaughter, 8-month-old Samantha, on his chest. Neighbors hearing the commotion came out to join the celebration.

“This is a nice, warm feeling again. I got a little lonesome over there,” Silgen said in front of the dozen people gathered around his wheelchair in the living room. “The Fire Department has so much love. I’m still overwhelmed by it. We’re just a big brotherhood. What a family.”

Dave Lowe, a firefighter who worked with Silgen and drove him home Monday, said Silgen perked up at the offer to stop by the Van Nuys station since so many of his friends wanted to see him.

“It was emotional,” Lowe said. “What’s great is that you work 20 years with macho firemen, and then all these guys you thought were tough just dropkick the macho out the window and hug.”

Laura Silgen said she was surprised at the outpouring of support from the Fire Department. Visits to the hospital were nonstop and kept Silgen’s spirits high, she said.

“They would just go up to Denny and touch his hand,” she said. “Denny talked about the brotherhood, but in the 26 years he’s been a fireman I had no idea what it really meant--until now.”

At the Silgen home, a hospital bed is set up in the downstairs den. In addition to both arms being in casts, Silgen’s right leg is immobile from a shattered ankle. He will not be able to walk for another three months, his wife said.

An avid hunter, Silgen will be situated under his prize trophy--the giant mounted head of an elk. Laura Silgen said her husband will miss the sport.

“I know he can’t wait to sink his teeth into an antelope dinner--well, he doesn’t have three in the front anymore, so it’s going to be awhile. I guess it’s just baby food for now,” she said.

The family joked that grandfather and 8-month-old granddaughter will be sharing the same plate.

“I don’t want to tell you how good this is,” his co-worker Lowe told Silgen as he shoved down a mouthful of pasta that Laura Silgen prepared for the homecoming.

“We’ll put it in a blender,” she suggested.

The family is very upbeat about the homecoming and does not dwell on how close Silgen was to death. Throughout the hospital stay, there was a lot of prayer, Laura Silgen said.

But things did become trying when doctors announced Silgen would have to undergo a fifth surgery in one week, his wife said.

“All of us crashed a little bit, and it was the only time Denny was down,” she said.

It was also hard to think about the families of those who didn’t survive, she said.

Prayer is what Laura said she believes enabled her husband to make it home alive. Silgen’s arrival this week will make Easter special, she said.

“I have God to thank the most, and we will definitely be in church Sunday, even if it means trying to stuff Denny in the car,” Laura said. “We’ve been Christians all along, but I tell you, I think we’re going to be evangelists now. God did give us a miracle.”