A local firefighter who died in the line of duty is among 23 being added to the New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial.
Joseph F. Benintende, a firefighter with Elmwood Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 died June 27, 1973.
In a ceremony at the state memorial in Albany on Tuesday, Benintende and other firefighters who died in the line of duty between 1935 and 2019 will be honored by state officials and members of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services’ Office of Fire Prevention and Control. The commemoration takes place during Fire Prevention Week each year.
This year’s names add to a total of 2,575 honored since the memorial’s dedication in 1998. The earliest name on the wall is from the year 1811.