A veteran firefighter from a community south of the New York state capital has died after responding to two fires the previous day.
Hudson volunteer firefighter Mark A. Graziano, 47, was found unresponsive at his home shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday, less than 12 hours after he responded to a fire call that was his second in the 24 hours preceding his death.
Hudson Fire Commissioner Timothy Hutchings announced Graziano's passing in a Facebook post shortly after the firefighter was found.
According to the post, Graziano joined the department as an Explorer when he was 14 before becoming a firefighter when he turned 18 in 1989. He had been a captain and also served as the department's medical officer for several years.
Graziano was also a charter member of the Hudson dive/rescue team and served with the Columbia County hazmat unit.
The firefighter was honored in 2016 by the Columbia County Volunteer Firefighters Association for rescuing a drowning victim from Oakdale Lake. Graziano was serving in his capacity as a rescue diver when he located an adult male in 26 feet of water before removing him to paramedics who successfully resuscitated him.
Graziano is survived by his daughter Natalie, son Alan, grandson Nicholas, and sisters Jennifer and Tammy.
"Please keep Mark, his family, and the members of our department in your prayers," Hutchings wrote.
Hudson is a city of about 7,000 people sitting on the east bank of the Hudson River roughly 32 miles south of Albany.
