Firefighters gathered for their monthly meeting in their usual fashion. They called the meeting to order, they all pledged allegiance to the flag, followed by a moment of silence for the fallen heroes and then, President Michael Corey asked past Captain William Connors to come forward to receive accolades for over 65 years of service to the Brockport FD and the greater Brockport community.
Almost three years ago, Connors, then 80, was honored at one of these meetings for his quick response to a neighboring house on fire. Turns out it was the home of one of the chiefs of the Fire Department who was not home at the time. His quick action with a garden hose was credited with saving the home.
During the presentation, Connors’ son Robert spoke of his Dad growing up. He recalled times when Dad and Bob and his brothers, Chuck and Tim, would be the crew on the first engine on the road. He referred to the many roles his Dad held over time with the department, and he shared the things that were most important to his father, among those was his fire department family. Connors’ wife, Joyce, and many other family members were in attendance to share the occasion with him.
For his years of service, Bill was presented with recognition from the local department, the Monroe County Volunteer Firemen’s Association, the Firemen’s Assocation of the State of New York and the NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control.
Connors is not the only one to have served his community fire department for the last 65 years. At an earlier presentation in May, Mabel Koss also received her service award for 65 years in the department Ladies Auxiliary. Mabel cannot count the number of times she has been there for volunteers like Bill who have fought many a blaze. Without the auxiliary, the support of those volunteers may have left them cold and dehydrated.
In an interview following the meeting, President Corey was quoted as saying, “We recognize their sense of duty, and extend our heartfelt thanks to them both for their participation, their dedication, their hard work and their desire to make Brockport a better place to live and raise a family.”
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Photos by Christopher Martin
