www.iafc.org/heather

In loving memory of Heather Westphal

August 9, 1975 – October 12, 2008 Wife, daughter, sister, friend IAFC Membership Marketing Manager Sign the online memorial guestbook View the photo collage (pdf) View the Washington Post notice View the Washington Post obituary (see second entry) Memorial services were held in the Denver and DC areas in October 2008.  Details

All-Star Rowing Crew Honors Heather Westphal in High-Profile Race October 19

	Click photo for a larger image. Photo courtesy of www.sportgraphics.com

Oct. 17, 2008... On Sunday, October 19, the Penn Athletic Club (Philadelphia, Pa.) will race at the 41st Annual Head of the Charles (HOTC) in Boston, Mass., with a special memorial mission in honor of the late Heather A. Westphal, who worked with the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) until her tragic death on Sunday, October 12.

Universally recognized as the “fall Super Bowl of rowing,” the HOTC is the world’s largest regatta, with over 7,500 athletes competing. There is a very special aspect to this year’s race that will weigh heavily on Penn AC’s Elite Men’s Eight as it charges down the picturesque three-mile course in Boston. The boat will have the initials H.A.W. on its side in memory of Westphal, a former coxswain on the Woodbridge High School (Va.) rowing team and former membership marketing manager for the IAFC...  

Westphal, Manager of Membership Marketing at the IAFC, Drowns October 12 on Family Vacation in Hawaii

"She was one of our brightest stars," says Mark Light, IAFC Executive Director

Oct. 14, 2008... The IAFC staff learned late Monday afternoon that Heather Westphal, 33, manager of membership marketing for the association, had drowned off 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 indicate 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 the world.”

Although Heather didn’t 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.”

	View the award-winning IAFC video Heather worked to create and to whom we dedicate:

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 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.”