The 18th annual New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial Ceremony is to take place on Tuesday at the firefighter memorial site on the Empire State Plaza in Albany.
This year’s ceremony will honor eight firefighters who died in the line of duty, including two from Westchester County and one from Poughkeepsie, Gannett's Nick Muscavage reports.
Timothy Gunther, 54, of Poughkeepsie Fire Department will be one of the fallen firefighters to be honored. The 21 year-veteran of the Poughkeepsie department passed away on May 5 after fighting a deadly fire at a home on Church Street in Poughkeepsie.
Kevin Bristol, 48, of the Peekskill Fire Department and Kevin Townes Sr., 54, of the Mount Vernon Fire Department will also be honored at the ceremony.
Bristol started at Peekskill Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter when he was 19. He was described by those who knew him as a “homegrown kid” and “gentle giant,” died on March 4, 2014 after going into cardiac arrest in his home.
Townes, who was also described as a gentle giant by his friends, was often called a “big teddy bear,” because of his friendly disposition.
The Pleasant Valley resident and 25-year member of Mount Vernon Fire Department passed away on Dec. 8, 2011 when he collapsed while preparing to enter a burning house early that morning.