BETHLEHEM, Pa. — “For those who have selflessly given their lives for the good of their fellow man — their task completed, their duties well done,” said Bethlehem firefighter Michael Matseur, solemnly.
“To our comrades, their last alarm. They are going home.”
Chimes of a bell then echoed through South Bethlehem’s Schweder Fire Station on Wednesday, memorializing seven city firemen who died during the previous year.
Those individuals were Fire Commissioner Bernard Story, Assistant Chief Eugene Mease Sr., Lt. Howard Aubrey, Assistant Chief Gary Briggs, Capt. John “Jack” Edelman and firefighters Richard Wasko and John Neith.
The city’s Emergency Medical Services Director Jeffrey Fritz recognized heroism within his department over the past year.
Those personnel include EMS supervisors Nick Bartoni, EJ Coleman and Matt Kronmuller; and paramedics Jason Hadinger, Sarah Szerencsits, Chris Fegley, Matt Bielinksi, Barry Arnold and Ben Perry.
'Keep their memories alive'
Luis Jimenez, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 735 president, said current personnel should never forget those who came before them.
“Their sacrifices paved the way for us, and we must always keep their memories alive by upholding the value that they’ve embodied."Luis Jimenez, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 735 president
“Their sacrifices paved the way for us, and we must always keep their memories alive by upholding the value that they’ve embodied,” Jimenez said. “We’ve come a long way through collaboration, dedication and a shared vision for a safer future for our members and community.”
Safety is all but a “temporary condition,” Mayor J. William Reynolds said, and the city is always looking for ways to continue strengthening its emergency services.
“We live in a safer city now than we did 10, 20, 30, or 40 years ago, and a lot of that is because of the dedication of our fire department,” Reynolds said. “ … So when I see the names, when I hear the stories, when I hear about what it means to be a firefighter, a paramedic in the city of Bethlehem, it’s hard not to be inspired.”
'Because of you'
“Because of you, we are safe to walk the streets,” Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure said to the emergency responders present and those being remembered. “Because of you, our lives are better.
“Because of you, the beating heart of Northampton County, which is the city of Bethlehem, continues to thrive and will only get better as time goes by.”
Motioning to the apparatus, McClure said he keeps a photo of Bethlehem Fire’s Engine #3 on his wall “to remind me who it is that we need to think of when we are making tough budget decisions.”
In 2022, the county allocated $800,000 of Relief Block Grant funding toward the new apparatus.
Fire Chief Michael Reich said his department is recognizing National Fire Prevention Week from Oct. 6-12, and will keep conducting fire and life safety inspections and installing smoke detectors as part of a broader fire safety program.
