Ex-Fire Chief From Hudson Valley Dies of 9/11-Related Illness Ex-Fire Chief From Hudson Valley Dies of 9/11-Related Illness
Ex-Fire Chief From Hudson Valley Dies of 9/11-Related Illness The ex-chief of the Pine Bush Fire Department and a former New York City Fire Department firefighter, has died from 9/11 related injuries at the age of 65. Richard “Ricky” John Tanagretta died on Tuesday, Sept. 24, surrounded by his family, said his obituary. Tanagretta worked as an FDNY firefighter for 26 years. He was also an instructor for the New York State and Orange County Fire Academies, mentoring many generations of first responders.   He was a past chief of the Pine Bush Volunteer Fire Department, where he was a member for 27 years, touching the lives of many.  Th…
Firefighter Injured Battling Rockland House Fire Firefighter Injured Battling Rockland House Fire
Firefighter Injured Battling Rockland House Fire A Monsey home was destroyed by fire as firefighters worked in hot, humid conditions to battle the blaze. The fire started around 3 p.m., Tuesday, July 2, at the home on Mapleleaf Road, said the Ramapo Police Department. Multiple fire departments were called to the scene due to the difficult conditions including working in void spaces due to the construction of an addition to the home, officials said. Fire officials said the fire started in a second-floor apartment of the residence.  Two people, inside when the fire started, were able to make it out safely. One firefighter was taken …
Fire Breaks Out In Mail Truck In Orangetown Fire Breaks Out In Mail Truck In Orangetown
Fire Breaks Out In Mail Truck In Orangetown Firefighters were able to save a large box truck full of mail after responding to a fire at the Orangeburg Post Office. The fire took place around 5:39 p.m., Monday, June 10 when a large truck, operated by a private contractor to carry mail, caught fire, said the Orangeburg Volunteer Fire Department. When Orangeburg firefighters arrived on the scene, they found the truck backed into the loading dock with a fully involved engine and passenger compartment fire, the department reported on Facebook. As the fire burned, three firefighters battled the flames, while two others began to off-load t…
Pilot Killed In NYC Chopper Crash Remembered As 'Dedicated, Professional' Ex-Fire Chief In Area Pilot Killed In NYC Chopper Crash Remembered As 'Dedicated, Professional' Ex-Fire Chief In Area
Pilot Killed In NYC Chopper Crash Remembered As 'Dedicated, Professional' Ex-Fire Chief In Area The pilot from the Hudson Valley killed in a helicopter crash-landing on the roof of a Manhattan skyscraper is being remembered for his years of service as a longtime fire chief in the area. McCormack, the only victim in the crash, had taken off from the 34th Street heliport 11 minutes before crashing onto the top of the 750-foot tall building amid rain and fog, setting its roof on fire. Tim McCormack, 58, served on the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department in Dutchess County from 1994 until his death on Monday afternoon, June 10. He was the department's chief for 10 years. He was previously a …
FDNY Firefighter, Former Westchester Resident Killed In Afghanistan By Roadside Bomb FDNY Firefighter, Former Westchester Resident Killed In Afghanistan By Roadside Bomb
Fdny Firefighter, Former Westchester Resident Killed In Afghanistan By Roadside Bomb A U.S. Marine killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb on Monday, April 8 was a New York City firefighter and a former Westchester resident. Christopher A. Slutman, 43, of Ladder Company 27 in the South Bronx, a 15-year veteran of the department, died as a result of injuries sustained while on active duty in Afghanistan, said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Slutman, who lived in Yonkers with his wife and three children for years, most recently lived in Wilmington, Delaware, and commuted to New York to work, according to News 4. The well-liked firefighter was honored five years ago…
Fire Causes Serious Damage To Seven-Bedroom Home In Westchester Fire Causes Serious Damage To Seven-Bedroom Home In Westchester
Fire Causes Serious Damage To Seven-Bedroom Home In Westchester A seven-bedroom home sustained serious damage during a fire that started in the attic. The fire, at 320 Elm Road in Briarcliff Manor, was reported around 7:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 23, said the Briarcliff Manor Fire Department. The fire ripped through the roof and attic areas of the home, requiring a large contingent of firefighters to battle the blaze. Firefighters had to use handheld hoses in the beginning due to the difficult location of the fire before a water cannon on engine tower ladder was brought in. No one was currently living at the home, which is being renovated. F…
Son From Rockland Starts GoFundMe To Bring Late Father's 'Baby' Home Son From Rockland Starts GoFundMe To Bring Late Father's 'Baby' Home
Son From Rockland Starts GoFundMe To Bring Late Father's 'Baby' Home Sometimes there's one thing that is important enough in life to ask for a little help from friends, and strangers, to make it happen. That's the case with Dave Mumford of Garnerville and a firetruck that was very special to his father before his death while at the scene of a fire on May 9, 1998, at the age of 48. A member of the S.W. Johnson Fire Company in Garnerville, Dave's father, Daniel W. Mumford, devoted years to the fire department as a firefighter, corresponding secretary, assistant chief chauffer and chief chauffer over the years.  During that time he had one firetruck, "Bab…
Community Devastated By Sudden Death Of Popular Mahwah Firefighter, 49 Community Devastated By Sudden Death Of Popular Mahwah Firefighter, 49
Community Devastated By Sudden Death Of Popular Mahwah Firefighter, 49 He was considered a solid man, a great dad, a reliable firefighter – which is why so many were as saddened as they were shocked to hear Monday that Mahwah firefighter Giovanni Pertuz had died. Township fire officials were preparing an official release about the death of the popular "Gio" Pertuz, the 49-year-old president of Co. 2 and proud married father of two. “Loved his kids. A great dad,” a colleague said. “We’re all a bit devastated.” A Hackensack native, Pertuz owned Master Fire and Electric on Franklin Turnpike in Mahwah, which installed, service and inspected fire alarm …
Pilot Killed When Plane Crashes At Former Theme Park In West Milford Pilot Killed When Plane Crashes At Former Theme Park In West Milford
Pilot Killed When Plane Crashes At Former Theme Park In West Milford WEST MILFORD, N.J. – The pilot died in a small plane crash that ignited a fire Wednesday afternoon in a wooded area of West Milford that was once part of the former Jungle Habitat theme park, authorities confirmed. The single-engine Piper PA-32 aircraft crashed after leaving nearby Greenwood Lake Airport around 2:30 p.m., the FAA reported. The lone-occupant pilot wasn't immediately identified. A full-scale response to the crash in state parkland off Airport Road included local police, firefighters and EMS, as well as the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, New Jersey State Police, the state DE…
Firefighters Douse Blaze At Waldwick Auto Repair Shop Firefighters Douse Blaze At Waldwick Auto Repair Shop
Firefighters Douse Blaze At Waldwick Auto Repair Shop WALDWICK, N.J. -- Firefighters quickly put down a blaze at a Waldwick auto repair shop late Tuesday afternoon. The two-alarm blaze broke out at J & J Auto Maintenance on Hopper Avenue around 4:30 p.m. Firefighters quickly had it under control. Firefighters from Midland Park, Ho-Ho-Kus, Saddle River and Wyckoff joined their colleagues at the scene. No injuries were reported. Boyd A. Loving contributed to this report.
Westchester Native ID'd As Victim Of Four-Alarm Fire At Trump Tower Westchester Native ID'd As Victim Of Four-Alarm Fire At Trump Tower
Westchester Native ID'd As Victim Of Four-Alarm Fire At Trump Tower The man who was killed when a raging fire broke out in his apartment on the 50th floor of Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan early Saturday evening has been identified as a Westchester native. The blaze, which was upgraded from three alarms to four alarms, erupted at the 58-story, 664-foot high mixed-use skyscraper on Fifth Avenue near West 56th Street just before 6 p.m. Firefighters found the man, identified as 67-year-old Todd Brassner, unconscious and unresponsive when they entered the apartment.  "The apartment was entirely on fire," FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. "M…
Haverstraw Landslide Remembered: 19 Lives Lost Haverstraw Landslide Remembered: 19 Lives Lost
Haverstraw Landslide Remembered: 19 Lives Lost HAVERSTRAW, N.Y. -- This month, the village of Haverstraw is commemorating the 112th anniversary of the Haverstraw Landslide. Nineteen people, including four firefighters, lost their lives in the tragedy, which occurred on Jan. 8. Clay that was being excavated for brick use under a 100-foot embankment slipped out, destroying the Rockland Street business section and homes from Liberty to Jefferson Streets. Overall, 21 businesses were destroyed. The damage could've been worse, but a snowstorm stopped a fire that could've burned a large section of Haverstraw, according to "South of the Mo…