Article and photos by Christopher Martin,
NFFF Rochester Area Events Team
Public Information Officer (PIO)
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) Greater Monroe County Events Committee hosted the 16th Annual and the final Golf Tournament for the area on Sunday and Monday, June 4 and 5, at the Deerfield Golf and Country Club on Craig Hill Drive in Clarkson. More than 500 golfers played, and over 30 Fire Hero Families attended each day of the Tournament. Victor Stagnaro, recently appointed Executive Director for the NFFF, greeted the golfers and the families during the opening ceremony on Monday.
The NFFF was created as a result of Congressional legislation in 1992 to lead the nationwide effort to remember America’s fallen firefighters. Since that time, the foundation has grown and developed expanded programs to fulfil its mission of honoring the fallen. The foundation provides resources to assist the fallen firefighter’s family (Fire Hero Family) in rebuilding their lives and it strives to assist the fire service in reducing firefighter injuries and deaths nationwide.
When a firefighter dies in the line of duty (LODD), the foundation provides the family with a place to turn to. It offers emotional assistance through the Fire Hero Family network and on the NFFF website. The foundation also provides much needed information for benefits, programs, and resources available to the families as they forge through the sudden loss of a loved one.
The Fire Hero Families joined the over eighty volunteers to make the event a success. The families stationed themselves at various holes on the course sporting tags that read “Ask me about my firefighter.” When you do, they tell you all about the person. One mom told a Channel 8 reporter it was part of her healing from the loss when she first joined the event and shared her story of the person behind the loss. “I want people to know who my son was, the amazing individual he was,” said Stacy Morse, mother of fallen firefighter Peyton Morse.
Stagnaro was selected as NFFF’s Executive Director following a national search. He is succeeding retiring Chief Ron Siarnicki. Stagnaro, a former Deputy Chief with Prince George’s County, Maryland, spent the day at the event on Monday. After his visit, he stated to the committee, “You don’t just host a golf tournament, you hold a Wellness Event for these families, and people just happen to play golf while they are here.”
The local event’s committee is pleased to have raised in excess of $500,000 during its tenure hosting the previous 15 tournaments. The proceeds for this tournament are projected to near another $100,000 over the two-day event; the largest held to date. The team is proud to partner with the NFFF in supporting its mission. For more information about the NFFF, visit https://www.firehero.org/.
