The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Fire Administration announce that the 30th annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend will be held at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg on October 14 - 16, 2011. A plaque with the names of 72 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2010 and 17 who died in previous years will be added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, located here on the National Fire Academy campus. The plaques surrounding the Memorial, which was established in 1981, will contain the names of more than 3,400 firefighters.
A message from National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Executive Director Ron Siarnicki about Bells Across America for Fallen Firefighters. It is a new addition to the 2011 Memorial Weekend on the 30th Anniversary of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial - October 14 to 16, 2011.
http://weekend.firehero.org/
http://weekend.firehero.org/
I first met Mr Leroy Kemp on a Saturday January evening in 2010, just a few days before his passing, at our volunteer fire department’s annual banquet. Leroy was a guest that night from our neighbor volunteer fire department, and I had the honor of sitting next to him for the evening meal. From our conversations we all had at the table that evening, I never felt more privilege to know such a man as LeRoy who had severed his community over so many years.
As a volunteer firefighter for more than 50 years, LeRoy Kemp was always ready to respond. "LeRoy was a genuine, good person. He always saw the good side of everybody, ..." said John Scott, Tioga County Fire Coordinator
Always willing to assist in a time of need, LeRoy was a lifetime member of the Tioga Center Fire and Emergency Departments, where he had served as Chief, EMT and Fire Police. In addition, he was Chairman of the Board for the Fire Commissioners and had assisted with the Tioga County Fire Investigation Team. He was a dedicated and well respected fireman who will be greatly missed by his community and his fellow members.
This weekend LeRoy Kemp will be honored as a firefighter, a long-time servant to his community, and remembered a fallen hero.
Firefighter LeRoy A. Kemp, 81, of the Tioga Center Fire Department in Tioga County, died in a motor vehicle accident while en route to a mutual aid call on Jan. 13, 2010.
The name of the former Tioga Center Fire Department firefighter will be added to a bronze plaque along with the names of 72 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2010 and 17 who died in previous years.
10 New York firefighters will be recognized at the ceremony taking place this weekend at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the Department of Homeland Security sponsor the event.
The other nine firefighters from New York state that will be honored this weekend are:
• Fire Police Capt. William E. Akin Jr., 54, of the Ghent Volunteer Fire Company in Ghent, Columbia County, died in a car accident while responding to the scene of a different car accident on Oct. 19, 2010.
• Firefighter Scott W. Davis, 46, of the Oswego Fire Department in Oswego County, died after suffering a heart attack within 24 hours after several emergency responses on June 20, 2010.
• Capt. Vincent A. Iaccino, 64, of the Roosevelt Fire District Engine Company1 in Hyde Park, died after suffering a heart attack during fire department training on April 12, 2010
• Firefighter John P. Kelly, 51, of the Tarrytown Fire Department in Westchester County, died after being overcome by fumes during a confined space rescue in a sewer drain Sept. 6, 2010.
• Firefighter Erich Lachmann, 74, of the Washington Heights Fire Department in Middletown, Orange County, died on Jan. 28, 2007, after suffering a stroke within 24 hours of responding to an emergency on Jan. 15, 2007.
• Assistant Chief Garrett W. Loomis, 26, of the Sackets Harbor Fire Department in Jefferson County died on April 11, 2010, of trauma sustained after an explosion on the scene of a silo fire.
• Firefighter Gerard Marcheterre, 50, of the Borodino Fire Department in Onondaga County, died after suffering a medical emergency while responding to a structural collapse on March 6, 2010.
• Firefighter Salvatore Scarentino, 51, of the Fire Department of New York, died after suffering a heart attack within 24 hours of responding to emergency calls on March 21, 2009.
• Lt. Josef L. Welenofsky, 46, of the Holtsville Fire Department in Suffolk County, died within 24 hours of responding to a call for a motor vehicle accident on Jan. 27, 2007.
According to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), a bronze plaque containing Leroy Kemp’s name will be added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial.
"Firefighters are called upon to face danger on a daily basis," said Chairman of the NFFF Board of Directors, Chief Dennis Compton, in a statement. "In October, a grateful Nation will honor their dedication and remember their sacrifice. The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend brings their loved ones and the fire service together to let their families, coworkers, and friends know that they will never be forgotten."
You are missed Leroy but…
Never Forgotten Sir...
(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; Th is is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)
