​Depot Road Park Named After Fallen Firefighter

Depot Road Park in Huntington Station was renamed after Richard Holst, a firefighter who died while responding to a fire eight years ago.

Holst, 60, suffered a fatal heart attack while responding to a fire near the park on Sept. 9, 2009. Holst, who lived nearby, saw smoke coming from the shopping center across the street from the park. He responded to the fire and was helping do the building walk-around with the chiefs to locate the fire when he collapsed from a heart attack, which proved to be fatal.

On Saturday, Sept. 9, Town Supervisor Frank P. Petrone, members of the Town Council and Town Clerk Jo-Ann Raia joined the Huntington Manor Fire Department to unveil a plaque in Holst's memory and a sign with the park's new name. About 100 people attended the ceremony, including firefighters, members of Holst's family and his widow, Noreen.

“It’s our honor today to rededicate this park in his name, for his heroic efforts and for his giving to the community continuously,” Petrone said at the ceremony. “He has been involved with this park, and the shopping center he responded to is right nearby. What an appropriate opportunity for us to rename a park.”

Holst was born in Rockville Centre and attended Uniondale schools and Nassau Community College. He served in the U.S. Navy for four years on the U.S.S. Saratoga, an aircraft carrier assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. His job was on the flight deck, where he directed fighter jets in for safe landings on the desk.

“He was a really special man,” Councilwoman Susan A. Berland said. “Every time I would see him, he would just have something nice to say…He was The Rev, he was everybody’s chaplain, who would make you feel better. This is a place that makes people feel better. It is a beautiful venue, a beautiful space. People come, they are happy here…Rich would like nothing less than that.”

He married Noreen, his high school sweetheart, when he returned and then spent 36 years with the Long Island Lighting Co. (and with LILCO’s successor, National Grid). He and Noreen bought a home in Huntington Station in 1976 and he joined the Huntington Manor Fire Department in 1978, following in the footsteps of his father, who was a former chief of the Uniondale department.

He was a member of the Huntington Manor Department for 31 years. He served as the department chaplain for 26 years and was the Captain of the Fire Police. Members of the department, his co-workers and his friends called him “The Rev.” His license plate, HMFD REV, was a reference to his nickname.

“Those who knew Rich knew an extremely kind and caring person as our chaplain," First Assistant Chief Jon Hoffmann said. “The stone will stay and watch over people in this park as he did us for many years.”

Image via Town of Huntington