For Two Concord Firefighters, It’s Their Last Night On The Job

CONCORD, NH — For Jim Cournoyer and Bobby Silvestriadis, July 30, 2017, is their last night on the job protecting the city of Concord from fires and saving its citizens during medical crisis. For Cournoyer, it has been 31 years; for Silvestriadis, it has been more than 28. For both, savoring their last moments and ending what they agree has been great careers working as firefighters has been bittersweet. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Concord NH Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

“This job gave me a great life,” Silvestriadis said, “and I’ll always be grateful for it.”

“Without a doubt,” Cournoyer agreed. “It’s a great career … it’s a tough career to walk away from. We’re down to our last 12 hours here …”

“We’re going to look back and … we’re no longer going to be a part of this,” Silvestriadis added.

“You meet a lot of good people,” Cournoyer said. “There are just so many memories over the years … table talk, fun, jokes, good times, bad times …”

“There are a lot of people here you could depend on, especially when times were tough,” Silvestriadis added.

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Most memorable experience for Cournoyer? Too many fires to mention. But when pressed, he thought for a second and mentioned a four-alarm, two building fire on Union Street about 20 years ago and of course, the massive Highway Hotel fire. For Silvestriadis, it was everyone in the fire department working as a team to save lives and bring people back from the brink of death.

“So they could spend another Christmas or another time fishing with their kids, because of the work that we did here,” he said.

Even though both are “retiring” from the Concord Fire Department, they will still be working. Cournoyer, who currently works part-time making deliveries McLeod’s Florist, will continue with that job. And yes, you can request him to deliver your flowers, which is pretty cool.

“I go from fires to florist … a fire guy to a florist guy, whatever you want to call me,” he said, laughing.

Silvestriadis will continue his work as a paramedic at Exeter Hospital as part of its intercept unit, work he said was great and fulfilling.

The department has already begun the process of replacing the firefighters.