Thomas Laun Jr., a longtime firefighter who embodied the spirit of the Syracuse Fire Department and became a fire service legend, passed away Wednesday, the department announced on social media.
After joining the department on Jan. 1, 1961, Laun moved up the ranks to lieutenant (1967), captain (1972), district chief (1974) and finally deputy chief (1994), which was the position he held when he retired on May 28, 1996.
"Chief Laun was a larger than life kind of guy, who deeply loved the fire service," Syracuse Fire Fighters Local 280 said in an online statement. "Chief Laun was a wealth of knowledge and was full of great stories of the Syracuse Fire Dept. and its members."
One of the most memorable stories involving Chief Laun is one that cemented his reputation within the department, and it made his name known across the fire service outside Syracuse. In a 2013 interview with the Syracuse Post-Standard, Laun revealed how he became forever connected with the acronym "BMA" amid a friendly bit of competition between Engine Co. 6 and Engine Co. 7.
"There was a classic rivalry between Engines 6 and 7 for top dog in the city," said Laun, who had become captain with Engine Co. 7 in 1970.
Describing the competition between the two companies as "salty," Laun said the rivalry continued to escalate over time. At one point, firefighters almost came to blows over which company had claim over a hydrant at a fire scene.
"Well, we don't give up the hydrant," Laun said in the interview. "The hydrant man said to me, 'They want me to take my hose off. What should I tell them?'"
"Tell them to bite my ass. So that's where the BMA came from."
And the letters stuck, too. So well, in fact, that "BMA" ended up on gear, apparatus and other department items around the firehouse. Finally, the fire chief at the time told Laun that such off-color language wasn't appropriate.
According to Laun, the exchange went something like this:
Chief: You can't have that kind of language on the side of a rig.
Laun: What do you think it means?
Chief: Bite my ass.
Laun: No, it means Best Men Around.
Chief: Oh, that's all right
"True story," Laun added. "He gave me a wink and out the door I went."
Given his long career with the department, Laun had become a valuable resource for fellow firefighters, and not simply as a first-hand source for colorful anecdotes. He also provided a bridge between generations and the department's history.
"Even though there are only 15 current members that can say that they actually worked with Chief Laun our entire department knows who he is," the department said in a statement. "He made it a point to attend every function that he was able to since his retirement. If the family of a deceased member requested an Honor Guard, he was most likely there. Most notably, he read the roll of honor every year at the Collins Block Memorial Service.
"His strong and steady voice could not be mistaken as he read the names of all of the Syracuse Firefighters that have lost their lives in the line of duty. He described it as 'an honor to be asked to read that list of heroes.'"
