The Whitehall firefighter who suffered a torn aorta on the way to a May 2 fire has died. Second Assistant Fire Chief James P. Brooks, 45, died around 10:30 a.m. Friday. He succumbed to injuries as a result of an early-morning mutual aid structure fire in Dresden in May. Brooks had served more than 20 years with the fire company and had been described as a “dedicated member” of the fire department. The Whitehall Volunteer Fire Company Inc. said Brooks passed away quietly at the home of his sister in Gansevoort, where he was living after being released from Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital in Schenectady on July 31. Brooks thought he had pulled a muscle in the firetruck responding to the Dresden fire in May. He suffered intense pain while tending to his duties at the scene.