Fire victims host luncheon to honor firefighters
Hamburg — After a pair of devastating fires changed their lives forever, Eric Figueroa of the Double S Diner in Sussex and Joyce Shepard of Tall Timbers Campground in Vernon wanted the firefighters who responded to each blaze know how much their efforts were appreciated.
So, sitting down at the Double S Diner earlier this year, Figueroa and Shepard planned a lunch at the newly reopened establishment to thank members of the 10 companies who risked their lives battling the fires. Realizing there wouldn’t be enough room at the diner, the two organized an“Appreciate your Volunteer Firefighters Day,” which was held Sunday at the Hamburg Fireman’s Pavilion.
“[Firefighting] is a respectable job when you’re getting paid,” Figueroa said. “When you volunteer, it’s that much more impressive.”
Nearly 350 volunteers and their families from Hamburg, Franklin, Pochuck Valley, Wantage, Montague, McAfee, Highland Lakes, Sussex, Vernon and Hardyston came to take part in the festivities, which included food from the Double S Diner, Green Valley Farms and the Holland American Bakery.
Several town and state officials, including state Sen. Steve Oroho, also came to show their support.
“They called, and I thought it was a fantastic idea,” said Oroho, a former Highland Lakes volunteer firefighter. Oroho honored each of the companies with New Jersey state appreciation citations.
Wantage Mayor Ron Bassani also was on hand for the festivities.
“It’s not often that the town does something for the firemen,” he said. “You’d think the community would play a more active role in honoring their firemen.”
Due to “the quick response from this many fire departments,” Tall Timbers Property Owners Association President Ralph Walti said nearly 250 acres of the camping resort community was saved by the seven responding companies. The resort lost four trailers and about 400 square feet of surrounding forest after a propane tank explosion at 3 a.m. April 20, 2012. However, it “most definitely could’ve been a lot worse,” Walti said.
Seven companies also responded to the Double S Diner fire in May 2011, but the building was lost after the kitchen was destroyed despite the best efforts of those companies.