Son carries on father's fire-fighter tradition

After one day of hanging out with his dad at work, Danny Nelson knew fire-fighting was for him.

The 19-year-old from Schaumburg has graduated from the Arlington Heights Fire Academy and is now working part-time at the Roselle Fire Department.

On top of that, he just received $1,500 in scholarships to further his studies at Harper College in Palatine. Nelson is getting a degree in fire science there and hopes to then land a full-time job.

His father, Kevin A. Nelson, isn't around to see his son follow in his footsteps.

The 45-year-old died Oct. 11 after a heart attack in his Schaumburg home. He was Roselle's first full-time firefighter and was a mentor to many in the department.

The elder Nelson helped start the Juvenile Firesetters Program that focuses on counseling young arsonists to reform.

He also was instrumental in organizing fundraisers to benefit the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance Burn Camp for children with severe fire injuries.

In February, Danny Nelson's father celebrated his 15th year anniversary with Roselle. Over that time, he rose through the ranks of the department, eventually becoming a lieutenant.

"He is pretty much everywhere here," said Danny Nelson. "I always think about him."

Sam Giordano, the department coordinator for Harper's Fire Science Technology program, was in charge of the scholarship.

"(Danny Nelson) is a great student and I can see that this is something he truly wanted to do," said Giordano, who is also the training director for the Roselle Fire Department.

"This is a person who, like his father, will be able to make a difference," Giordano said. "I wanted to reward that person."

Danny Nelson, a Conant High School graduate, has been working at the Roselle department for about four months. He says getting the scholarship meant a lot to him. And so far, he says the job is going well.

"I really like it," he said. "I get to help people every day."