Chief Mark W. Rapp Sr., a retired Indianapolis firefighter who responded to Ground Zero after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, died of lung cancer on March 4, at age 66.
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Born on June 15, 1955, in Indianapolis, Mark gave more of himself than he expected back.
Fire officials said Rapp Sr.’s death was due to complications from cancer stemming from his time on a search and rescue team after the attacks.
“He was absolutely fearless,” said IFD Battalion Chief Howard Stahl. “Mark knew his job and knew it well. You could trust him with anything, including your own life.”
“The terrorist attacks happened 20 years ago and a lot of people don’t remember exactly what happened,” Howard said. “For those of us that responded on that terrible day, we were exposed to a toxic soup.”
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Five of the 65 task force members to respond to Ground Zero have died of cancer associated with their exposure to toxins at the site, including Rapp Sr.
About 45% of the team has experienced health issues from their exposures at Ground Zero.
Mark received the American Red Cross Heroism award and Operations Firefighter of the Year award. He also received the Medal of Bravery for performing a high-stakes rescue of a small child from a dangerous apartment fire in 1993.
“His skill set was probably the finest that I’ve ever seen as a firefighter,” said Stahl, who knew Rapp Sr. since they worked at the City of Lawrence Fire Department in the 1970s. “He just instinctively knew exactly what to do in every position, and he was a great teacher too. I can’t tell you how much I learned from him.”
Rapp Sr. worked alongside his two sons, who are both firefighters before he retired as a chief from the Indianapolis Fire Department in 2017.
He is survived by his wife Nancy Rapp, three children, and seven grandchildren. He was a founding member of Indiana Task Force 1.
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