RENSSELAER -- Hundreds of mourners, including firefighters from throughout the Capital Region, filled the Church of St. John the Evangelist this morning to pay tribute to fallen Assistant Fire Chief Micheal Falkouski.
Falkouski, 59, who died Monday after collapsing at a fire a day earlier, was remembered as a loving person with a jovial sense of humor.
"Mike was a dear and best friend to many of us in this room,'' said former Fire Chief Phil Smith. "We appreciate all your support.''
He described how Falkouski's widow, Susan, had worried this morning about the freezing weather. "It's so cold, what will the guys do?'' Smith said she asked him. "I said, 'They'll do what they're trained to do; Mike would have been the first one out the door.'
"One thing Mike always proclaimed, 'Be safe, be smart and go home to your family."
Bishop Howard Hubbard said Falkouski was "a truly selfless community servant.''
After the ceremony, Assemblyman Ron Canestrari, D-Cohoes, said he had known Falkouski, a former Rensselaer alderman, for 25 years. "He died in the line of duty, and that's the way he lived,'' Canestrari said. "He deserved the very beautiful tribute they gave him here today.''
Falkouski was stricken shortly after arriving at a fire at 2006 8th St. early Sunday morning. The blaze was sparked when a coffee truck's propane tank exploded while owner Jeff Williams worked on it.
Williams was severely burned and is being treated at Westchester Medical Center.
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- The Rensselaer Fire Department
