By Mike Schnitzel
"It is right and proper that we make these dedications," said Mayor Edward Cahill at the opening of the memorial ceremonies at the firefighters memorial on Sunrise Highway and Franklin Avenue, "but it is with a heavy heart that we remember their sacrifice and what the community has lost."
The streets near the Corona Avenue Firehouse, fire department headquarters on Rockaway Parkway, and the Clear Stream Avenue Firehouse were renamed to honor firemen Phillip Fournier, Joseph Valentino and Sherman Smith, and captains John Tate and Michael Moran.
Fournier was the first Valley Stream firefighter to die in the line of duty, according to Chief Joseph Garofalo, succumbing to a heart attack en route to a fire in 1948. Valentino was killed in 1962 when he was involved in an accident at South Terrace Place and Valley Stream Boulevard on his way to a fire. And Smith suffered a fatal heart attack while responding to a fire call in 1971.
Tate and Moran were among the 13 firefighters who sustained injuries while battling the blaze that engulfed Temple Gates of Zion on Rockaway Avenue on Nov. 22, 1979. According to firefighter Brian Ferrucci, both were inside when the conflagration caused the roof of the temple to collapse. They succumbed to their injuries in the burn unit of Nassau County Medical Center within a week of each other, said Ferrucci.
The streets have been renamed in order to "honor the sacrifice of our fallen brothers," Garofalo said.
Comments about this story? MSchnitzel@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
