Denis Leary | Leary Foundation | Leary Firefighters

For New Orleans firefighters, Leary wings it
By Bella English, Globe Staff | October 7, 2006

Take actor-comedian Denis Leary, put him in New Orleans with celebrity chef Ming Tsai and a bunch of real-life firefighters, and what do you get? A spicy gumbo of jokes, generosity, and big appetites.

This was not to be the New Orleans of Jell-O shots and jambalaya, of beads and beignets that mark the historic French Quarter. It was the New Orleans of downed trees, destroyed firehouses, and FEMA trailers.

At 8 a.m. Wednesday, the sleek Citation Sovereign jet owned by auto magnate Ernie Boch Jr. left its Norwood Airport hangar and headed to Connecticut to pick up Leary and Tom Westman, winner of "Survivor: Palau" and a retired New York City firefighter. It was part road trip, part mission, and Boch was happy to lend his jet to his friend Leary's cause.

Leary went down to present the New Orleans Fire Department with 15 search-and-rescue boats; the department owned none. During Hurricane Katrina, firefighters used their own fishing boats to perform rescues. "Sean Penn had one more boat than the entire New Orleans Fire Department," Leary said, referring to the actor's volunteer efforts after Katrina.

The Leary Fire fighters Foundation was formed six years ago, following the Worcester warehouse fire that killed six firefighters, including Leary's cousin Jerry Lucey. Since then, the foundation has raised millions of dollars to help firefighters across the country. "Fire departments will always be at the bottom of the totem pole, because they never go on strike," said Leary, who had a few choice words about politicians. "I'd love to go out of business, to never have to do this, if fire departments all over would be taken care of, but it's never going to happen." Audio Audio slideshow of Leary's trip

Leary's interest in firefighting dates back to his childhood -- 30 or 40 of his friends from St. Peter's High in Worcester joined the department. In his acclaimed television series "Rescue Me," he plays New York City fireman Tommy Gavin. In real life, Leary's personality bears some resemblance to Gavin: caustic wit, profane mouth, and trademark cigarette.

"My job in New Orleans," he said, "is to go in there and make as much noise as I can about the fire department. It's insane. Twenty-two of 37 fire houses were destroyed, and they lost tons of equipment."

As Boch's plane descended, the group gazed silently out of windows at the destruction, apparent even from the distance: blue-tarped roofs and white trailers dotting the grids.

It was Leary's first trip to the Big Easy, and he was excited, but not as excited as the New Orleans firefighters, who joined Leary and company at the edge of Lake Pontchartrain, where the new boats were moored. "He looks and acts just like he does on the show," one firefighter said into his cellphone. "He sounds like a jake."

Leary, Boch, and Westman -- who was there to officiate at the lakeside press conference -- took a brief ride in a boat, and then joined firefighters in an outdoor buffet. The breeze that blew off the lake carried with it the laughter of firemen and the aromas of sweet potato casserole and bread pudding soaked in bourbon sauce.

The whirlwind trip, and the boats, said the fire superintendent, were a big morale booster. "Sometimes the men feel like people have forgotten. But since Katrina, our major fires are up 145 percent," said Superintendent Charles Parent. More than 70 percent of the men lost their homes in the storm, he said, including himself.

After the press conference, Leary and the others piled into vans and visited a couple of fire houses destroyed by Katrina; the crew s work out of adjacent construction trailers. "Watch out for the rats," cautioned one firefighter.

Engine One was still intact, and Ming Tsai, owner of Blue Ginger in Wellesley and host of the television show "Simply Ming," donned his chef's jacket and apron and took to the kitchen. He had shipped 30 cases of his frozen foods to the fire department and wanted to demonstrate to firefighters how to fix a good meal in a few minutes. Today it was sweet and sour pork with rice, and Kung Pao shrimp with rice. A hot wok, a little oil, some sizzle, a few flips of the pan, and the meal was ready.

"All you do is heat up a wok after you put out a four-alarm fire, and you're tired," said Tsai, who had come down and cooked for firemen and volunteers in the wake of Katrina, as part of Chefs for Humanity. "It's just our way of saying we're still thinking about you."

At Harrah's New Orleans Casino, where Todd English recently opened his restaurant Riche, Tsai had arranged a cocktail reception and dinner for some of the men. As Boch's jet banked over New Orleans, Leary remarked that the city looked "like a Third World country . . . but at the same time, the guys were very impressive with their spirit. And it was great to see the boats in the water."

Fifteen hours after taking off from Norwood, the plane arrived back home, mission accomplished, and stomachs full.