Lt. Michael E. Neuner Sr. Memorial Service

[RWC130 594]

As The 10TH Year Approaches...

IN MEMORY OF

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LIEUTENANT

MICHAEL E. NEUNER, SR.

Brewster Fire Department # 585

LODD June 22, 1997

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City of Peekskill Police Officer # 27

[x129K 1,393]

I remember hearing that when it happened. We were all up at a big parade in East Greenbush.

God Bless

[Guest]

On June 22, 1997 Lt. Michael Neuner was killed in the line of duty while conducting fire operations for the Brewster FD. This year will mark ten years since that tragic night. On Saturday June 30, 2007, the Brewster FD will be hosting a memorial service for Lt. Neuner at the Brewster fire Dept. Main Station located at 501 North Main St. in Brewster the memorial service is scheduled to begin at 4:00 PM.

This post is an invitation to ALL FIREFIGHTERS to attend Lt. Neuner's Memorial Service. We ask that you RSVP with an approximate headcount by June 1, 2007. We also ask that no fire apparatus or color guards be brought to the service due to limited space. The service will be outside the firehouse and immediately following the memorial service there will be a gathering in the town park next door to the firehouse. Again due to limited parking we will be providing bus shuttles from the parking lot at Metro-North Southeast Station to the firehouse beginning at 2:00 PM and running until 8:30 PM

We hope that you all will join us on June 30th to remember Lt. Micheal Neuner. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THIS SPECIAL DAY. And again please RSVP with the headcount by June 1st. To RSVP please write to Brewster Fire Department

501 North Main Street

Brewster, NY 10509

or Call 845-279-3555 Ext 15.

Thank you Sincerely

Lt. Micheal Neuner Memorial Committee and Brewster Volunteer Fire Dept.

[ex-commish 490]

Gone but never forgotten

[Oswegowind 17]

I can't believe it is 10 years already.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Still miss ya Satch.

[EMT1094 0]

I can't believe it has been 10 years since Mike's been gone! I can still close my eyes and picture the days and weeks that followed the tragic loss of such a wonderful and caring man. My "family" lost one of our best that day, but he will never be forgotten. I can only imagine how proud Mike must be of his children, I am sure he is looking down and smiling (wow, they all grew up soo fast!!). I hope he is smiling down at me too, and that I have made him proud of what I have already accomplished and what I hope to accomplish in the future.

I love and miss you Mike! You will always be the angel on my shoulder.

Remember 585.

[Remember585 815]

It is exactly two months before the 10th "anniversary" today that my Uncle was killed. What amazes me is that I remember every detail so vividly even after all this time.

I was home sleeping off a night out with friends and my mother opened my bedroom door in a frenzy. She told me that my Uncle Mike had been in an accident, did I hear anything on the scanner. Living in Croton I never listened to Putnam so I hadn't heard a thing. My Dad then told me that something happened at a fire scene and my mother and him were heading up there and to stay home with my sisters.

It felt like time stood still forever until I got the call from Mom, Uncle Mike was dead. In complete shock I sat there and stared at the floor. I knew I had to go upstairs, wake up my sisters and tell them the awful news. I remember telling them and both of them calling me a liar and that it wasn't possible. We loaded into my car and made the rather fast trip to Brewster.

We got to the house and family members, BFD, PCSO and friends were already there. I remember sitting on the steps to the house and looking around thinking this can't be happening. Later on my father and I took a ride to the scene. All I remember is the look on everyone's face and the eerie feeling I got down my spine looking at the burned out shell of house that took one of my favorite Uncles.

The days that followed left an impression on me I will never, ever forget. The amount of people that knew "Satch" and admired him was amazing. I always knew how great he was to hang out with, I can only imagine the stories everyone has. Firefighters, Police Officers, Marines, EMTs and people from all over the place came to the wakes and funeral. THOUSANDS of people. I'll never forget the rows of people in uniform lining the streets during the funeral. I recall how impressive the Marine honor guard was. I remember how great the Brewster FD was. I remember how Chief Tumolo from Peekskill PD was there for the family. And, I will always remember the outpouring of support from my other family, the Croton FD.

It has been ten years, the void is still there and always will be. What happened to Mike has been my motivation to be the best I can be to honor his memory. What happened to him is the driving force behind how we started our FAST and why, still, we continue to be aggressive and pro-active. My parents have been working with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and helping at the annual service almost every year since. I am proud of them for that.

And lastly, I am proud of my Aunt Janet and my cousins Jamie, Mike, Nick and Jennifer. I am sure he is looking down on them and smiling, knowing that even though he isn't here physically, he is a part of everyone's life.

Remember 585

[RWC130 594]

I also miss Mike a lot, that is why I started this topic. I know several of his

Brother Firefighters, Family, and Friends are members of EMTBravo.

Back in the 90's I was an Auxiliary Police Officer here in Peekskill.

As an Auxiliary I often did a ride-a-long with Mike.

He drove Peekskill PD Car 255 and often smoked a BIG fat cigar.

He would joke with me and say "Do you mind if I smoke" I was always

say "Yes, I do" he would reply "I am the one with the Gun so too bad" lol

Mike had a great sense of humor.

We would talk about Law Enforcement and he would tell me about

his days with Putnam County Sheriff. Some crazy stories too!

I remember the night he was killed I got a call from a friend who at the time worked at 60-Control. He asked me who is a Peekskill Police Officer and a Brewster Firefighter? I knew right away he was talking about Mike because I had a convo with Mike two weeks before about him being a Volunteer Firefighter.

Chills ran thru my spine as they do now typing this.

Mike was not a good Cop, He was a GREAT Cop!

He was not a good Firefighter, He was a GREAT Firefighter.

He was a Husband, Father, and a GREAT MAN!

I am honored to have known him.

RIP - GOD BLESS YOU BROTHER!

[Guest DADAY]

[attachmentid=2899]

Edited June 9, 2007 by DADAY

[Guest DADAY]

http://www.brewsterfiredepartment.org/LtMi...nerMemorial.htm

This is open to all.

[Guest DADAY]

[Guest DADAY]

bump

[RWC130 594]

DADAY,

I merged this with mine. (duplicate topics)

I hope to see a nice turnout on 6/30

[stephen morea 1]

what exactly happened at the fire scene, what happened to him, how did he perish?

[firefighter36 52]

what exactly happened at the fire scene, what happened to him, how did he perish?

←

Is this the LODD scenario we discuss in NYS FAST and Survival Class? If I remember correctly, the floor opened up and the Lt. fell into the basement, where he was lost.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Only personnel directly involved know the intricate details, the LODD report was never published. Yes it is one of the case studies that is mentioned in the survival curriculum. If I remember correctly, they were already operating in the basement and conditions deteriorated upon attempting to exit. Satch got seperated from the rest of the crew and did not exit. He was found some time later a few feet from the stairs. Even without fire from what I remember with discussions with some old friends that basement was a nightmare to begin with. Couple the scenario, the loss of crew integrity due to deteriorating conditions and accountability issues and the incident danger dominoes started to fall and were difficult if not impossible to stop.

[Guest DADAY]

Mike was the FUNNIEST man I have ever met. Miss him very much. 10 years is a long time although it feels like just yesterday.

Remember for those of us with the 585 on our helmets, cars, whatever that he may be gone but NEVER will be forgoten. And we cannot let him be gone, remember what he stood for and that his passing has made a difference in all we do.

[Guest DADAY]

Can't believe its 10 years ago tomorrow.

[Remember585 815]

Today, June 22nd, marks 10 Years since that horrible day.

Your death was not in vain, Uncle Mike. We still remember and we still miss you!

RIP "Satch 585"

Edited June 22, 2007 by Remember585

[EMT1094 0]

Well, it's 10 years today, and it still feels like just yesterday that we lost Mike. The impression that he left on all of us will never be forgotten. I hope everyone is going to try and be in Brewster for his memorial...he deserves the best!

Remember 585

I miss and love you Mike!!!

[RWC130 594]

REMEMBER 585!!!

[Guest DADAY]

Saturday

[RWC130 594]

THIS SATURDAY JUNE 30TH!!!!

Peekskill is sending Firefighters and Police Officers.

RIP 585

[PC415 1]

Bump

[Guest DADAY]

Ten years after a firefighter's death, Brewster remembers his sacrifice

By TERENCE CORCORAN

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original Publication: June 29, 2007)

If you go

The Brewster Volunteer Fire Department will hold a memorial service for Lt. Michael E. Neuner at 4 p.m. tomorrow at the main firehouse, 501 N. Main St. Neuner died while fighting a fire in June 1997. The public is invited, as are firefighters and police, who are asked to wear their Class A uniforms. Fire Departments or police agencies seeking information may call 845-279-3555, Ext. 15.

BREWSTER — The worst tragedy in the 136-year history of the Brewster Volunteer Fire Department took place 10 years ago this month, when Lt. Michael Neuner was killed while fighting a blaze in the basement of a Southeast home.

In the decade since, Neuner's four children have grown under the guiding hand of their mother, Janet, the fire service has adopted changes to prevent a similar tragedy from happening, and, for the most part, life has gone on.

But in Putnam County's public-safety community, one thing has remained constant: Michael Neuner - and the sacrifice he made - has never been forgotten.

Go to a fire anywhere in Putnam and you're likely to see on the back of some volunteer's pickup truck a sticker honoring Neuner's memory. Drive west on Brewster's Main Street and on the right, just before the firehouse, is Lt. Michael Neuner Drive.

Tomorrow, hundreds of firefighters and police from the Lower Hudson Valley and beyond are expected to attend a memorial at the firehouse marking the 10-year anniversary of Neuner's death. The brick building will be renamed after him and a fallen firefighter statue - created at the Argos Foundry in Southeast by artist Charles F. Clark of Yonkers - will be dedicated to him.

"We're doing this memorial service because the Fire Department has a tradition of never forgetting its fallen members," said Brewster Capt. Tim Sullivan. "But we're also doing it to honor his family and let his widow and children know that we still remember them and the sacrifice they made. None of us can comprehend what they've been through."

Few people associated with the fire service in Putnam County will ever forget June 22, 1997. The call came about 2 a.m. for a basement fire in the Brandon family house on Old Mine Road in Southeast, a fire later determined to be electrical.

Neuner, 35, became separated from other firefighters in the cluttered cellar and was trapped in a flashover - a moment of intense heat when everything in the room ignites. Neuner died of smoke inhalation.

Neuner left behind his wife, their children - Jamie, Michael, Nick and Jen - and a grieving community.

"You never forget. It was tough on his family, tough on me and tough on the department," said Brewster Fire Commissioner Thomas Palmer, who was chief in 1997. "It took quite a bit to get the men and women of the Brewster Fire Department back from there."

"A tragedy like this doesn't ever go away," said veteran Brewster volunteer Meg Miller. "It really took its toll."

At times, Miller said, it does seem like 10 years. Other times, she said, the pain is still fresh.

"It's like when anyone in your family dies. Years later something happens that reopens the wound and it's the same heartbreak all over again," she said. "But time does heal and it's great to see his kids doing so well and working hard. It's a credit to him and their mom."

Jamie, 22, is in her senior year at college and will soon begin student teaching. She was a Division III All-American softball player at the State University of New York College at Cortland. Michael, 19, has two years of college and now works for a Brewster plumbing company. Nick, 16, is a sophomore at Brewster High School and Jen, 13, attends Henry Wells Middle School. Janet Neuner, 44, works for the Putnam County Bureau of Emergency Services.

"We're doing pretty good," she said recently. "We get a lot of support from family, friends and our friends in the fire department."

Michael Neuner, nicknamed "Sach" after a character in the old "Bowery Boys" comedies, was a longtime member of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office before joining the Peekskill Police Department in June 1996. He was named Putnam County's Police Officer of the Year by the American Legion in 1996, and received a commendation from the Peekskill Common Council for saving a choking child.

Neuner was a Patterson volunteer firefighter before moving to Brewster and joining the department there. He was a former volunteer in Armonk and worked as a Westchester County correction officer. He was also a former U.S. Marine, but the role he enjoyed most, friends said, was being a father.

Janet Neuner admitted that it's hard sometimes to see one of her children accomplish something and know that their father isn't here to share it.

"We'll never forget him and we always try to remember the happy times. We try to laugh and remember all the goofy things he did," she said.

Like the time he was arrested by the Kent police - while working undercover for the Putnam County sheriff.

"He was enthusiastic and an excellent undercover," said Putnam Deputy William Asher, who graduated from the Police Academy with Neuner and considered Neuner his best friend. "At one point he looked like Dan Haggerty (the actor who played Grizzly Adams) and had a beard down to his chest."

Asher said he and other officers were staking out the home of a suspected drug dealer in Kent when the dealer spotted a shady character outside.

"We were doing a wiretap on the guy and we heard him describing a crack addict who was across from his house in the woods. Sach (Neuner) was the crack addict," Asher said. "The Kent police responded and played along with it. They locked Sach up like he was planning a burglary."

"I'll never forget that," Janet Neuner said. "He called me from the Kent police and said, 'I got arrested.' He was always joking."

Asher, who still keeps a photo of Neuner in his living room, described him as the type of person you liked the minute you met him.

"He was one of a kind," he said. "He was the type of guy who was always joking, but he would do anything for you. His family was No. 1 and his kids were his life. I think that if he saw how successful Jamie is at sports, he would have been the first to tell you, 'She doesn't take after me,' "

In typical small-town fashion, Neuner even knew the Brandon family, who lived in the house on the banks of the Middle Branch Reservoir. The family rebuilt the house. Alice Brandon, 80, said she was still saddened by the tragedy.

"I'm still shook up. The house meant nothing to us," Brandon said recently.

Janet Neuner said she's looking forward to tomorrow's service because it will allow her two youngest -Nick and Jen -to better understand the sacrifice their father made and what he means to their hometown.

"It will be nice for Jen and Nick to see how many people their father touched," she said.

Among the changes adopted since Neuner's death are the formation of teams and policies that ensure no firefighter enters a burning building alone.

The Firefighter Assist Search Team is a specially trained group of firefighters who show up at every confirmed structure fire. FAST's role is not to fight the fire but to stand by in case the firefighting crews encounter trouble and to assist them.

Another change is technological - thermal-imaging cameras. The cameras can be trained on a building to pinpoint a fire's location.

In the fire that took Neuner's life, flames became trapped in a space between the basement ceiling and the upstairs floor. Had the thermal cameras been available, firefighters might have located the fire before it flashed over.

"It's unfortunate that it takes a tragedy to bring about changes like the FAST team," Palmer said. "But it's important that this never happens again."

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Shuttle service will be available from the SOUTHEAST train station from 2:00pm till 8:30pm

[RWC130 594]

BUMP

[Guest DADAY]

Shuttle service will be available from the SOUTHEAST train station from 2:00pm till 8:30pm.

[Remember585 815]

To the guys and gals of Brewster FD;

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU!

Go to lohud.com for photos and more from the great service hosted by BFD.