Six New Jersey Fallen Firefighters Among Those Being Honored on May 4-5, 2024 at National Memorial

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

EMMITSBURG MD, The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) will host the 43^rd National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend (Memorial Weekend) on May 4-5, 2024 in Emmitsburg, Maryland. This year’s national tribute will honor 89 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2023 and 137 firefighters who died in previous years. The honorees will include the following New Jersey firefighters:

Captain Augusto Acabou, age 45, of the Newark Fire Department, responded to a fire on the Grande Costa D’Avorio Cargo Ship that was docked at Port Newark, NJ on 7/5/2023. While backing out from the fire due to intense heat, Firefighter Acabou and Firefighter Wayne Brooks, Jr. were lost and disorientated in the smoke, and a mayday was called. They were rescued, but were unable to be revived, and were pronounced dead at the scene.

Captain Wayne Brooks Jr., age 49, of the Newark Fire Department, responded to a fire on the Grande Costa D’Avorio Cargo Ship that was docked at Port Newark, NJ on 7/5/2023. While backing out from the fire due to intense heat, Firefighter Brooks and Captain Augusto Acabou were lost and disorientated in the smoke, and a mayday was called. They were rescued, but were unable to be revived, and were pronounced dead at the scene.

Firefighter Anthony “Tony” Duivenvoorde, age 62, of the Sussex Fire Department, responded to multiple calls during his shift on 4/12/2023, including a structure fire at a diner that was caused by a car striking the side of the building, which required extrication. He also responded to a false alarm at a residence, and the department was on standby to respond to a wildfire. He was found deceased at home later that evening due to a heart attack.

Firefighter Jeff M. Pfeiffer, age 66, of the Deptford Fire Department, responded to a call for an investigation of smoke at an intersection in the town of Deptford, NJ. On the return trip, he began to cough, experience shortness of breath, and became unresponsive. He was transported to the hospital where he remained in critical condition. The next day, there was no sign of brain activity, and he was taken off life support. He was pronounced deceased due to a heart attack on 3/24/23.

Fire Chief Timothy Pfleger, age 32, of the Keyport Fire Department, was involved in a motor vehicle crash while returning from fire department-mandated training at the Monmouth County Fire Academy in a Keyport Borough assigned vehicle on 7/16/2022. He was struck head-on by an oncoming vehicle. He was transported via ambulance to Jersey Shore University Trauma Center. He underwent surgery to reconstruct his right hip and he was transported to a long-term rehabilitation facility. After approximately one month, he was discharged to continue rehabilitation at home. On 9/30/2022, he was transported back to the hospital for a medical emergency and died at the hospital. His death certificate states the cause of death as Pulmonary thromboembolism following immobility due to blunt impact trauma of the right hip.

Fire Chief Edward “Eddie” Steines, age 64, of the West Milford Fire Department, responded to multiple calls, including a train fire in Hardyston Township, NJ on 8/15/2023. All units cleared the scene he returned home. Early the next morning, he collapsed at his home. He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead due to a heart attack on 8/16/23.

Detailed information about each of the 226 firefighters being memorialized can be found on the 2024 Roll of Honor.

“National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend is a time for our nation to pause and reflect on the heroic efforts and selfless service of the fallen firefighters we are paying tribute to this year,” said NFFF CEO Victor Stagnaro. “We will always remember the bravery, commitment, and sacrifices of each of these 226 heroes—and their families.”

There are two events open to the public at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park on the grounds of the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) during Memorial Weekend.

• The National Fallen Firefighters Candlelight Service is on May 4 at 7:30 pm ET and will be hosted by Fire Captain Garon Mosby of the St. Louis Fire Department.
• The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service is on May 5 at 10:00 am ET and will be hosted by actor Jeremy Holm.

Fire service and government leaders are scheduled to address the thousands of attendees at the Memorial Service on Sunday, May 5. The NFFF will live stream both events on the NFFF’s website (firehero.org), YouTube channel, and Facebook page.

There are additional events during Memorial Weekend provided exclusively for the families and fire departments of honored firefighters. These include small group sessions and other activities throughout Friday and Saturday; they are open to the families and coworkers of newly honored and previously honored firefighters.
Schedule

The NFFF will provide live satellite feeds of both events. Technical support is being provided by VISTA Worldlink, Comcast Beltway, and INTELSAT.  Satellite coordinates can be found at live.firehero.org. Images from the 2023 Memorial Weekend are here.

Location

National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park

National Emergency Training Center (NETC)

16835 S. Seton Avenue

Emmitsburg, MD 21727

 

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