FD memorial almost complete

The Rockville Centre Fire Department has spent the last eight months working on renovating Firefighters Memorial Park. And though the work is almost done, the RVCFD still needs a little help from the public to complete the project.

The park is a field right next to Reliance Hose Company No. 3 on N. Forest Ave. Originally, the park was just a field with a large boulder that had a plaque on it memorializing all of the Rockville Centre firefighters who had died. But thanks to a $100,000 grant from Nassau County Legislator Howard Kopel and $10,000 in funding from Senator Dean Skelos, the firefighters were able to transform the park.

Today, the memorial is three parts: The original boulder is still on the field, though it has been moved. The main portion of the memorial is now a long brick wall with an eternal flame embedded in the center. There is also steel from the World Trade Center on the site to memorialize the many men and woman from Rockville Centre who died on 9/11.

Though the park is nearly complete, there is still some work to be done. The wall will have plaques for each of the four RVCFD companies mounted, and the eternal flame still needs work. The fire department also wants to create small, individual memorials for the three Rockville Centre firefighters who have died in the line of duty.

To help fund the last of the work, the fire department has turned to the public. For $100, anyone can have a brick engraved and installed at the memorial. Bricks for Rockville Centre firefighters will go by the wall, bricks dedicated to 9/11 victims will be placed by the steel, and all other remembrances will be placed by the boulder.

The fire department has already sold 290 bricks, but still wants to meet its goal of 350. Each brick can be inscribed with three lines of text with 15 characters per line. And each one is inspected by the department first to make sure it’s appropriate (and that everything is spelled correctly).

Much of the work on the memorial was done by fire department members, and the whole thing has come at no cost to taxpayers. Contractors Frank Robustello, Joe Rugolo, Anthony D’amelio and Bob Schenone were especially helpful, donating their time and supplies.

John Mirando, the media relations manager for the RVCFD, said the department hopes to have the park completed by mid-October — in time for the annual firefighter memorial service.

“This place will be here for years to come for our guys to have a place to reflect,” he said.

To order memorial bricks, either visit the fire department headquarters at 58 North Centre Avenue, or email ex-chief Lou Franko at FOFI443@aol.com.