Rockville Centre honors six firefighters lost this year

The Rockville Centre Fire Department held its annual memorial service at Firefighters Memorial Park last Sunday, to pay tribute to the six members of the department—Stephen J. Geraghty, Robert “Bubba” Seaman,  Eric Burel, Charles Elmore, Edward Simpson, and Robert Greenfield—who died over the past year. 

During the memorial, the department honors each of the deceased members’ final day as their “last alarm.”

Firefighter Stephen J. Geraghty, a retired battalion chief in the New York City Fire Department and a Rockville Centre native, died of a World Trade Center-related illness. His brother, Eddie, chief of the FDNY’s 9th Battalion, was working in Lower Manhattan on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, and his body was never recovered from the rubble after the attacks.

Stephen Geraghty was a member of the FDNY for more than 40 years, and was also the ex-captain of RVCFD Eureka Hook, Ladder and Bucket Company No. 1. He devoted much of the latter part of his career to training young firefighters, and taught at the Nassau County Fire Academy, preparing them for the next disaster or terrorist event. He answered his last alarm on Sept. 21, 2022.

Ex-Chief Robert “Bubba” Seaman, a beloved member of the Rockville Centre community, died at just 57, also of an illness brought on by his rescue and recovery work at ground zero. He joined the village Fire Department in June 1989, as a member of RVCFD Live Oak Engine Company No. 1.

Seaman was captain of the company from 1995 to 1997 and again from 1999 to 2001, and chief of the department from 2015 to 2017. He answered his last alarm on March 3, 2023. The department fondly remembers him as a natural leader who always made the time to mentor young recruits.

Ex-Chief Eric Burel joined the Malverne Fire Department as a line officer in 1982, and served there for 10 years before transferring to the Freeport F.D. in 1992. He spent nine years in Freeport, four of them as captain.

Burel moved to Rockville Centre, and joined RVCFD Woodland Engine Company No. 4, in July 2000. He served for six years as a line officer, from 2005 to 2011, and as captain of the company from 2009 to 2011. He was elected second assistant chief of the department in 2015, first assistant chief in 2017 and chief in 2019.

Burel also served as superintendent of the Plainview Volunteer Fire Department for the past 26 years, and played an instrumental role in leading the Woodland Engine Company drill team to 10 New York State Old Fashioned Drill championships. He answered his final alarm on July 4.

Honorary Chief Charles Elmore answered his final alarm on June 24, after dedicating more than 50 years to the Rockville Centre department. He and his wife, Gail, were married in 1964, and settled in the village when he joined RVCFD Floodlight Rescue Company No. 1. Elmore was named an honorary chief in 2010, and in 2012 he transferred to Eureka Hook, Ladder and Bucket Company No. 1.

Elmore was a veteran who served in all three major branches of the military. After joining the carpenters union, he worked for a company outside the metropolitan area, but was injured on the job in 1975. He later went on to work for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bridges and Tunnels.

Honorary Chief Edward Simpson answered his final alarm on Feb. 2, 2023. An Oceanside resident, he was a member of the Rockville Centre department since 1971. Over his 50 years of service, he served on several committees, and chaired the committee that oversaw the maintenance of the 1937 Ahrens-Fox apparatus and trained new operators.

Fire Medic Robert Greenfield answered his final alarm on June 2.  He joined RVCFD Floodlight Rescue Company No. 1 in December 2017, and had a passion for helping people.

He was a husband and a father of three who was proud of his EMS career. He responded to numerous alarms over the years, and was often first on the scene or at the wheel of the ambulance.

Greenfield was given a save bar for helping to resuscitate someone who was in cardiac arrest, something many emergency medical service providers never accomplish. He had a chance to give the gift of life to someone else, which is one of the greatest achievements in the medical community.

During his time with Floodlight, he inspired others to join, and many are still active in the department today. Greenfield also gave younger members opportunities to work in his company.

The officers and members of Floodlight Company and the chiefs, officers and members of the Fire Department fondly remember Greenfield.

To close out the ceremony, Department Chief Scott Mohr and Second Assistant Chief Pat Healy placed a wreath honoring the memory of the officers who died this year, while Ex-Captain John O. Lamonica rang the ceremonial bell.