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"It gave me chills," Fire Chief David Brierty said.
Bill Trabilcy was only 12 years old when he found the pin amid the rubble of what was the Cardinal Lanes -- now the site of a five-story apartment building -- on Anderson Avenue in Cliffside Park.
Dozens of firefighters from throughout East Bergen who responded to the Cardinal Lanes around 4 a.m. Oct. 15, 1967 found smoke pouring from all sides.
The Ridgefield crew had stretched two hose lines to a rear door and headed in when an explosion collapsed the truss roof, toppling a concrete wall.
Killed were:
- Chief Gustave A. Genschow, 43, a 27-year veteran who owned a local tavern;
- Firefighter Dominick Acquafredda, 31, a four-year veteran who worked at the Lever Brothers plant in Edgewater;
- Firefighter Harry Brown, 26, a five-year veteran who worked for the New York Daily News;
- Firefighter James Edwards III, 35, who managed a trading stamp store;
- Firefighter James Lauria, 60, then Ridgefield's building inspector.
A civilian and 10 other firefighters also were injured as 130 of the bravest from eight communities battled the blaze.
The dead were identified at that Sunday morning's Mass at St. Matthew's Church.
Fourteen children under 21 years old were left fatherless. Some became firefighters, just like their dads.
Tabilcy, 64, who recently moved to Belmont, MA, held onto the charred pin as a piece of history, then decided to donate it.
"The history behind this pin is incredibly tragic but a wonderful piece to remember our fallen brothers by," Brierty said. "It will be placed in a case and kept in the firehouse for generations of firefighters to see."
It joins a silver bell outside the Co. 2 firehouse, as well as plaques that also honor the fallen heroes in firehouses, the library, Borough Hall and other facilities throughout the borough and other memorabilia.
The Cardinal Lanes fire helped change the way New Jersey fire safety codes are written and still remain enforced, Brierty noted.
"May we never forget our five brother who perished on that fateful day," the chief said.
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