Honoring Hugh Stott: Fire Department Coffee Supports Retired Fire Chief Battling ALS

Hugh Stott makes good people into better people.

He trained firefighters, equipping them with skills to save lives, including their own.

He coached high school baseball players, teaching the value of hard work, teamwork and perseverance, skills that serve them far beyond the ballfield.

He taught his children and grandchildren the one lesson that rises above all else: 

“Do the right thing, always. You’ll be surprised how much easier it makes everything else in life.”

Hugh Stott’s legacy is one of giving back.

On Friday, Fire Department Coffee had the privilege of honoring that legacy by giving back to Hugh as he wages his biggest battle yet — living with ALS.

The Fire Department Coffee Foundation donated $5,000 for the purchase of a new custom wheelchair. We also introduced a new Benefit Bag of coffee and a special T-shirt design, so our customers can support him, too.

The coffee bag and shirt design feature the line “Everybody Gets Home Safe,” an apt phrase drawn from Hugh’s passion for firefighting and his love of baseball.

Celebrating Hugh: A Day of Honor and Support

We showed up in style — in our custom-built Rosenbauer truck — and Hugh’s supporters showed up in full force at his home in Winfield, IL.

Hugh retired in 2019 as Deputy Chief of the West Chicago Fire Protection District. It was his last stop in a long career as a firefighter, during which he was one of the first firefighter-paramedics in Illinois as well as an active member of the Illinois Fire Service Institute, where he trained and then became a trainer himself, teaching firefighters from around the world.

Many firefighters he served with and taught were there to celebrate him Friday. Others were ballplayers he coached over 19 years as a varsity baseball coach at West Chicago High School.

His wife of 48 years, Karen, was there, as were his son Kevin and daughter Kristen, as well as his grandchildren Kaya, Brian and Kyle.

In the words of Joe Walsh of the Eagles, “Life has been good to me so far,” Hugh said recently. “I was very lucky. I made a lot of friends through teaching, and they turned out to be great people. I developed a lot because of them. Like they say, I was in the right place at the right time.”

Rich Valenta is the man who reached out to Fire Department Coffee to share Hugh’s story. A retired lieutenant from the Carol Stream Fire District, Rich first met Hugh in 1979 when they started on shift together. Their paths were intertwined throughout their careers. 

“In the beginning, I was a little standoffish,” Rich remembers. “Then in 1980, we went to Smoke Divers school at IFSI. We worked side by side and got our butts kicked in smoke divers. It’s a brutal course. We became very close. All he wants to do is the job. He wants to be as good as he can be and to take care of the guys. That’s who Hugh Stott is.”

Over the years, Hugh taught and developed programs in the areas of Smoke Divers, FAST, Fire Officer, Instructor, Hazardous Materials, and Specialized Rescue. While a member of MABAS Division 12, the Illinois Taskforce (TF1), which is the State USAR team, Hugh’s leadership moved these organizations forward from their Infancy.

For four decades, Hugh Stott’s only goal was to make sure that every one of his firefighters made it home safely. Not every firefighter is so fortunate. Hugh Stott was. His firefighters always made it home. Hugh always made it home.

So it was all the more devastating when the diagnosis arrived just a few short months after Hugh retired.

Facing ALS with Courage

The symptoms came first. 

In the months prior to his retirement in June 2019, Hugh knew something wasn’t right. His friends and family could tell, too.

In early 2019, small things like walking for extended periods became difficult. The symptoms progressively got worse after his retirement. He thought it was arthritis in his knees.  By October, he was hospitalized for the first time and doctors began looking for the reason behind his difficulties.

The formal diagnosis came in January 2020. ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to the loss of muscle control.  

By then, Hugh was already using a walker and sometimes a wheelchair. Soon the walker would no longer be an option. The disease progressed that rapidly, and Hugh has been bound to his wheelchair since 2020.

Research suggests that there is a possible link between firefighting and increased risk of ALS due to occupational hazards. Firefighters are often exposed to intermittent hypoxia and toxic substances, which could contribute to neurodegenerative conditions. A study indicated that firefighters might be twice as likely to get ALS compared to the general population. Preventive measures, such as reducing exposure to toxicants and maintaining overall health, are recommended to mitigate these risks.

Today, Karen is his primary caregiver, with help from hospice nurses. Using a lift, they transport him among his bed, his wheelchair and his favorite recliner. 

His current wheelchair is on loan from the Les Turner ALS Foundation, based in Skokie, IL. With the FDC donation, they’ll return the loaner to benefit someone else, and they’ll purchase a chair customized for Hugh and made to provide the added support in the areas where his body is weakest.

“As his body weakens, he may need different supports,” Karen said. “Sometimes he leans to the right. So it can help him be more upright, more comfortable.”

 It’s with the kindness and generosity of other people and with today’s efforts Hugh still feels like he is still part of the “brotherhood” even though he’s retired.

His mind remains sharp and, though he speaks clearly, the words come slower now and with more effort. 

The smile still comes easily. His signature sense of humor has never left him.

Asked what he was most proud of in his career, he didn’t miss a beat.

“I didn’t have a building drop on me,” he said. “I didn’t get blown up. And I never got arrested.”

‘The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth’

ALS is also commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, named after the famous New York Yankees slugger who was diagnosed in June 1939.

Less than a month after his diagnosis, Gehrig stood near home plate at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939, and delivered his famous farewell speech in which he declared, “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.”

Decades later and many years before his own diagnosis, Hugh and Rich were among a group from IFSI visiting New York City and touring various fire companies. Through a contact at FDNY, they arranged an impromptu tour of Yankee Stadium. A secretary let them in, passing along a stern warning from then-owner George Steinbrenner.

“Mr. Steinbrenner said you can go anywhere you want in the stadium but stay off the grass.”

Hugh and Rich found their way out to the field, and Hugh made his way to home plate, steps from where Gehrig gave his speech.

The wry smile appeared. Hugh cleared his throat and then delivered a boisterous rendition of the national anthem.

Rich recalls it as one of his fondest memories.

“Remember when Leslie Nielsen sang the national anthem in ‘Naked Gun,’” he joked.

Then he got serious.

“Not only is Hugh my best friend,” he said, “but in this business, he is truly one of a kind.”