A fire police captain died after being stricken at an emergency scene in Vernon Center Saturday.
Merle L. Nell, 78, joined the Volunteer Fire Company of Vernon in 1965. He took on several roles in the department, including a long stint as assistant chief before becoming chief in 1983, his son Scott told Firehouse.com.
For Nell and his family, firefighting runs in the blood including his two sons and two grandsons.
Scott has served as the chief of the Volunteer Fire Company of Vernon for 21 years and Mark volunteered in Vernon before joining the Verona Fire Department.
Scott's sons Adam, 20, and Matthew, 18, are both active members of the Volunteer Fire Company of Vernon.
Nell responded to a mutual aid call in Vernon Center for smoke inside a house on the morning of Nov. 26. Already at the scene were is son, Scott and grandson, Adam.
With little traffic to contend with, Nell went to the pumper that his his Scott was operating and they talked about the incident.
As operations began to wind down, Adam exited the house and joined his father, grandfather and other firefighters talking next to the pumper.
Scott said his father's tone changed and he appeared distant when they had him sit down on front bumper of the pumper. Shortly after, he became unresponsive and EMTs tended to him.
CPR was initiated and became slightly responsive as the ambulance arrived to transport him to St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Utica, Scott said.
Shortly before they arrived at the hospital, Nell went into cardiac arrest and efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
The cause of his death has not been determined.
Nell joined the U.S. Marine Corps and spent 1956-1958 as a military police officer.
He was a part-time police patrolman in Vernon in the 1960s and 1970s.
"That was one of the interests that stuck with him, law enforcement. So we made him the fire police captain," Scott said.
Nell worked for the U.S. Postal Service as a clerk and rural letter carrier and was known throughout the community.
"He got to know a lot of people…that helped us when had calls," Scott said. "He knew who they were and where they were from, he knew all about them."
“He loved what he did and I’m sure that’s the way he wanted to go…surrounded by his family and friends.”
Visitation will be held Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Malecki Funeral Home Inc. in Vernon with a private burial at Maple Grove Cemetery in Vernon.
Donations can be made in Nell's memory to:
Vernon Volunteer Fire Department
P.O. Box 773
Vernon, N.Y. 13476
