Four Fallen Boston Firefighters Honored with Bridge Dedication
The bridge on Rice Road in Boston is now the “Boston Fire Company Fallen Firefighters Memorial Bridge.”
The bridge is dedicated to the four fallen Boston firefighters who died in a rescue attempt in 1978, WGRZ reports.
The memorial honors those firefighters who perished July 15, 1978, attempting to rescue a man suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning while cleaning a well on Haag Road.
"As you can imagine, this tragedy shook the entire Boston community and firefighters through the region," Senator Pat Gallivan said at the bridge's dedication ceremony. "It is never too late to recognize the service these brave volunteers provided to their neighbors and to honor their memory."
During the rescue, Fire Assistant Chief Donald Pfarner, Lt. Dana Stevens, and firefighters Eugene Schmitt and David Hadley all succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning.
"These four heroes ran toward danger, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten," said Assemblyman David DiPietro.
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Ryan Baker
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Ryan Baker is a writer and associate editor with prior experiences in online and print production. Ryan is an associate editor for Firehouse with a master's degree in sciences of communication from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He recently completed a year of teaching Intro to Public Speaking at UW-Whitewater, as part of his graduate program. Ryan acquired his bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023 from UW-Whitewater, and operates currently out of Minneapolis, MN. Baker, also writes freelances for the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) in his free time, while also umpiring baseball for various ages across the Twin Cities Metro Area.