A 92-year-old New Jersey volunteer firefighter was honored Monday with a proclamation from the township he has served for 75 years.
In 1944, John Kooreman began volunteering at 18 with the Hawthorne Fire Department, WABC-TV reports. He joined the Wayne Township Fire Department as a volunteer in 1959, and from lieutenant to commissioner, he has held almost every rank with the department.
In later years, Kooreman even fought fires alongside his son, Scott.
"It's something he still wants to do," volunteer firefighter Scott Kooreman told WABC. "So as long as we can help him achieve that, then it's a small thing to pay back."
