This page is dedicated to our
fallen Brothers

In all of Laurelton's 80+ years of service to their district residents, we have had only two Line-Of-Duty deaths. Unfortunately this is two too many. These two brave firefighters did not die in vain. Their deaths lead to one of the most treasured traditions in the history of Irondequoit firefighting. Born out of this tragedy was
The Fire Departments of Irondequoit Annual Memorial Service.

The Tragedy
(as researched by Henry Wehner)

On August 27, 1952, at 10:18am, an alarm came in for two Town of Irondequoit sanitation workers (Carl VanSchaik & Earl Richmond) overcome by gas fumes in a manhole at Helendale Rd and Druid Hill Park. Fearing noxious gas, Laurelton Firefighters Arthur Sink & Bernard Bauman put on Chem-Ox masks and attempted a rescue. Unfortunately, these masks (the best the fire service used at the time) were unable to keep the men from losing their own lives. Both rescuers lost their lives in a selfless attempt to save others.
Rochester Gas & Electric workers had to recover the bodies of the four men because they were the only company using Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA's).The investigation that followed showed that it was lack of oxygen, not the gas that took all four men's lives. The filter-type masks that the firefighters used offered no protection for this lack of oxygen. SCBA's are now universally used throughout the fire service.



The Tradition

After this tragedy, in 1953, Laurelton approached the four other fire departments in the Town of Irondequoit with the idea of an annual Memorial Service to honor all of our fallen Brothers from the five departments regardless of the cause of death.
The other fire departments serving the Town of Irondequoit are
Ridge Culver, Point Pleasant, Sea Breeze & St. Paul Blvd.
The fact that these Fire Departments, in the year 2002, just celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Memorial Service shows the importance of Tradition and Brotherhood in the Fire Service. The Laurelton Volunteer Fire Association feels extremely honored to have initiated this tradition that still is going strong. Our thanks go out to all of our Irondequoit Brothers & Sisters for helping this tradition continue.

In 2001, the Town of Irondequoit dedicated a tree at Town Hall to honor the memories of these four men.



Please click here to read
The Firefighter's Prayer


In November 2001, past member Bill Scheidt donated a plaque to the Laurelton Volunteer Fire Association to memorialize the
9/11 tragedy. Please click here to view this thoughtful donation.