Crime & Safety

Fallen Firefighters Honored at New Southold Memorial Dedication

Community pays tribute on Veterans Day to seven North Fork men who died in the line of duty volunteering with their fire departments.

Since 1845, seven local firefighters have died in the line of duty, taking part in protecting their North Fork neighbors from harm. But these local heroes have never had a single place honoring their ultimate sacrifice for the community at large — until now.

Members from the fire departments of Mattituck, Cutchogue, Southold, Greenport, East Marion, Orient, Fishers Island, and Plum Island and a crowd of about 100 people gathered Sunday afternoon, Veterans Day, for the unveiling of a new Southold Town Volunteer Firefighters’ Memorial, which is incorporated into the base of the 9/11 Memorial Osprey at Jean Cochran Park in Peconic.

Eugene P. Lessard, James Parker Wickham, Keith Purcell, George P. Matthias, Richard Sycz, Edward Bellefountaine, and Frederick Gagen were honored and remembered by several current and past fire department chiefs and the likes of state Sen. Ken LaValle, Assemblyman Dan Losquadro, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell, and Greenport Mayor David Nyce.

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“It is absolutely fitting that this memorial be dedicated on this day, Veterans Day,” Mayor Nyce said. “The strength and fabric of our society is directly related to the number of people in our communities who are willing to sacrifice performing their duties.”

Supervisor Russell said that we should not only remember the seven local firefighters who were lost in the line of duty but also honor and appreciate those who are volunteering for our communities on a daily basis today.

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“I think super storm Sandy really showed just what they do, and how much they really do,” he said.

Russell also mentioned how the project was a longtime coming given the difficulty of finding an appropriate site over the years but praised the swiftness of the heads of the project for getting it completed in less than a year once the Peconic location was approved.

Near the end of the ceremony, the chief of each fire department from which those who were lost described the circumstance of each of the mens’ fate:

Eugene P. Lessard of the Mattituck Fire Department died on Oct. 28, 1957 after suffering from complications from a heart attack while responding to a call of a house fire on Hortons Lane Extention.

James Parker Wickham of the Cutchogue Fire Department died on April 5, 1930 at the age of 23, after responding to a call of a brush fire near the edge of the fire district around 12 p.m. He has been working on a farm with his younger brother, John, when the call came in. They were driving in a car, rushing to the scene, when they had to swerve to avoid oncoming traffic, throwing James from the car and killing him instantly.

Keith Purcell of the Southold Fire Department died on Dec. 17, 2000, after he responded to the scene of a fully involved garage fire. He collapsed at the scene and was pronounced dead. Purcell had been playing Santa Clause at the firehouse earlier that day.

Frederick Gagen of the East Marion Fire Department died on March 13, 1999 after suffering from a heart attack while responding to a call.

George Matthias of the Greenport Fire Department died on Aug. 20 1972, also suffered from a heart attack on an alarm.

Richard Sycz and Edward Bellefountaine of the Greenport Fire Department died on June 11, 1977 while on call at a house fire on Carpenter Street. The men were looking for a 10-year-old girl who was reported by her mother to be trapped inside the house. While searching, Sycz, 27, and Bellefountaine, 18, ran out of their supply of breathable air, became disoriented and became fatally overcome by the smoke. The mother did not know at the time that her daughter had left the house safely with her father.

“I knew those young men — they were just terrific young men,” said Renee Carey of Greenport, who attended the memorial dedication Sunday. “I think this is an amazing tribute to all of them.”

“These men selflessly gave their lives to protect their neighbors,” said Antone Volinski, president of the Southold Town Fire Chief’s Council. “These firefighters may be gone, but they will never be forgotten.”


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