By: KEITH GRANT
All Ken Marino knew was fighting fires.
It's all he ever wanted to do, his mother, Mary Ann, said.
A native of Oceanside, Marino gave almost a decade of service to the Oceanside Fire Department after graduating from Oceanside High School in 1980. He then joined the Long Beach volunteers after moving across the bridge. Shortly thereafter, Marino realized his dream of becoming a New York City firefighter.
A member of the elite Rescue One, Marino is among the more than 400 missing New York City firefighters, police and emergency medical services workers.
We were always afraid something like this could happen, his mother said.
The family has vigorously sought answers and information on Marino since the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center. Marino was among the first firefighters to respond to the scene, less than an hour after a visit from his wife, Katrina, and the couple's two young children at Marino's 43rd Street, Manhattan fire house. The family has spent several days at the fire house since the tragedy, receiving comfort from the firefighters, if not information on Marino's fate.
Marino's sister Lynda, 24, has gone to great lengths to find some clues about what happened to her brother. Last week, she went on Fox television to describe him for people.
We gave people all of the information we could think of, she said. Any scars, what he was wearing, anything they could use to identify him.
Now we're just waiting, Mary Ann said. It could be months.
A track star and member of Oceanside High School's Hall of Fame, Marino wanted to be a firefighter since he was a child. He worked his way up the ranks to become a member of Rescue Four, the squad that lost two of its members, including Harry Ford of Long Beach, in the Father's Day fire in Astoria, Queens. Marino had transferred to Rescue One last year, but was still deeply affected by that tragedy.
They are such a united family, his mother said. They really believe in what they do. They really are heroes. They're not afraid.
Marino and his wife Katrina most recently resided in Monroe, N.Y., with their children Kristine, almost 4, and Tyler, one-and-a-half.
This was his dream, Mary Ann added. He couldn't wait to get on [the fire department]. When he got on, he wanted to go to the busiest fire house he could. He wanted to save people. He wanted to rescue people.
