Harmonville Fire Lieutenant Rides in Honor of Fallen Firefighters

Harmonville FD Lieutenant, Justin Coogan Rides in Honor of Fallen Firefighters:

Coogan, and team of 25, raise $41,000 and Get on the Truck

Plymouth Meeting – Harmonville Fire Company Lieutenant Justin Coogan biked 65 miles alongside 25 firefighters in the 34th annual Ben to the Shore Bike Tour, last month, in honor of Lower Merion firefighters, Sean DeMuynck and Thomas Royds, both of whom died in the line of duty in July 2021. Coogan, a nine-year Harmonville volunteer and career firefighter with the Lower Merion Fire Department, helped to raise the group’s $41,000 which will go directly to the DeMuynck and Royds families.

The Ben to The Shore Bike Tour is a charity event that raises money to provide financial relief for the families of fallen or critically injured first responders and cultivate positive relationships and interactions between police and fire departments and the children in the communities they serve. To date, the event has raised more than $1.12 million.

Coogan completed the 65-mile ride from Philadelphia to Atlantic City with no training; he was fueled by his passion and mission to help others – in this case, the DeMuynck and Royds families.

“I rowed in college at La Salle so I’m used to endurance sports,” Coogan said. “But on race day, it was the adrenaline that was pumping when everyone lined up and we were all thinking of Tommy and Sean. I was overwhelmed with the thousands of people,” said Coogan. “It was quite a site to see, and to know that everyone was there in support was incredible.”

Sean DeMuynck, a three-year member of the Penn Wynne Overbook Hills Fire Company, died from injuries sustained during a July 4th residential blaze in Wynwood. Lower Merion Fire Chief, Chas McGarvey commented that DeMuynck was a man who made volunteering a priority.

Twenty days later, on July 24, the Lower Merion Fire Department suffered another heartbreak when veteran Belmont Fire Company’s Thomas Royds was killed after being struck by a car along the Schuylkill Expressway while on call for a multi-car accident.

“I was told that Tommy pushed two other firefighters out of the way at the scene,” Coogan said. “Tommy made a life-altering decision with no thought of his life. That’s the kind of man he was.”

At the race, about a mile before the finish, members of Team DeMuynck and Royds each pulled over so they could cross together, led by firefighter Sam Shaffer who was at the fatal accident scene with Royds; Shaffer survived despite serious injury. It was a poignant and powerful finish.

“I was honored and really proud that we were able to assemble a team to ride,” said Coogan, “and the fundraising was outstanding. That day, we honored both men by – as we firefighters say – getting on the truck. We continue our mission. We get on the fire truck no matter what.”

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