Friday, October 16, 2026
A Lynbrook firefighter who died in the line of duty more than 87 years ago was honored Oct. 6 as his name was added to the New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Albany.
Five members of Hose Company No. 1 of the Lynbrook Fire Department traveled to the state capital to attend the ceremony honoring Firefighter John J. Smillie, who died July 13, 1939, after responding to a fire on Atlantic Avenue in Lynbrook.
Smillie and other firefighters were preparing to return to the firehouse when he suddenly collapsed and fell from the rear step of a fire apparatus. Members of the department’s Rescue Squad attempted to revive him, but were unsuccessful.
Smillie had served with Hose Company No. 1 for 26 years, having joined in 1913. He lived at 85 Walnut St. in Lynbrook and was also a World War I veteran.
The Lynbrook Village Board approved a Fire Department request Sept. 14 to use two department vehicles for the trip to Albany, allowing members to represent the department as their fellow firefighter received statewide recognition.
Although Smillie’s death occurred nearly nine decades ago, his sacrifice has continued to be remembered in Lynbrook.
“Firefighter Smillie’s name also appears on the Village of Lynbrook’s Firefighters Memorial on Sunrise Highway and Earle Avenue,” Fire Department spokesman Steve Grogan said.
The local memorial honors six Lynbrook firefighters who died in the line of duty. Each October, the department gathers at the monument to remember those members and recognize their service to the village.
“He and five other Lynbrook firefighters who died in the line of duty in our village, are honored each October by the department with a memorial service at the monument,” Grogan said.
Smillie’s addition to the state memorial extends that recognition beyond Lynbrook, preserving his name alongside firefighters from across New York who lost their lives in the line of duty.
