3 Hudson Valley Firefighters Added To State Memorial

ALBANY, NY — Three Hudson Valley firefighters are among 23 who are had their names added to the New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial this year. The annual ceremony was held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Empire State Plaza.

• Felix L. Amoriello, Firefighter, North White Plains Fire Company No. 1, Westchester County. Feb. 28, 1963
• John P. Kelly, Firefighter, Tarrytown Fire Department Westchester County. Sept. 6, 2010
• Richard E. Tomlins, Jr. Firefighter, Cold Spring Fire Company No. 1, Putnam County. Feb. 15, 2018

Among those at the ceremony Tuesday were six members of North White Plains Fire Company No. 1, and two members of Amoriello's family, who traveled from Florida to see their relative honored.

Members of the volunteer fire company have been working for years gathering evidence and lobbying to have Amoriello added, said Chief Andrew Seicol.

Amoriello was hospitalized after a fire in 1963 and died a few days later. "He was a 33-year member of this organization and an integral player in the construction of our current fire station on North Broadway in the 1930s," Seicol said.

Tomlins was 43 when he died suddenly and unexpectedly after returning home from a fire call, according to Cold Spring Fire Company officials. A 25-year member of the department, he was an employee of the Putnam County Highway Department.

Kelly died in Tarrytown in 2010 trying to rescue someone who had gone down into a sewer manhole behind the firehouse. Both men were overcome by deadly gases. Kelly was known to family and friends as "an everyday hero." When someone was in distress, "he simply knew he had to do something to help," Sue Scogna said the day of his funeral.

With the addition of those added to the memorial today, the Fallen Firefighters Memorial now honors 2,575 individuals who lost their lives in the line of duty. The Fallen Firefighters Memorial, dedicated in 1998, honors the memory and valor of New York's fallen firefighters. It also pays tribute to more than 100,000 active firefighters in New York who put their lives on the line every day.

"New York's firefighters risk their lives every day, and many have made the ultimate sacrifice while running toward danger to protect the communities they serve," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a statement. "Firefighter Appreciation Day honors the legacies of these courageous men and women who sacrificed their lives to protect the people of this state and helps to ensure they will be remembered forever."

In 2018, fire departments statewide responded to 1,591,572 incidents — about 4,360 incidents each day, 182 incidents per hour and about 3 incidents every minute.

At the ceremony, Cuomo also issued two proclamations to honor the state's career and volunteer firefighters, marking Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019 as Firefighter Appreciation Day and the week of Oct. 6-12, 2019 as Fire Prevention Week.