FDNY Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro Posthumously Swears-In Mount Marion, NY Firefighter

March 25, 2016

Friday, March 25, FDNY Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro posthumously swore-in Mount Marion Captain Jack Henry Gerard Rose as an honorary FDNY Firefighter at FDNY Headquarters in Brooklyn. Captain Rose died in 2015 while responding to a chimney fire in Cedar Grove, he was 19 years old.

"Today, we here in the FDNY are pausing to recognize this young man for the extraordinary way he lived his life, for the example he set for others and for the true passion he brought to fighting fires," said Commissioner Nigro. “Though he was young, he was brave, and he is the exactly the kind of young person we are always looking for to join our ranks. He clearly possessed a sense of duty and a commitment to protecting others far beyond his years."

Captain Rose was 16 when he joined the all-volunteer Fire Department in Mount Marion, New York, and aspired to one day join FDNY. On December 19, 2015, Rose became separated from his unit as they battled a chimney fire. Even though he was quickly located by fellow firefighters, he later succumbed to injuries sustained.

"He just had that thing - that thing that you recognized the moment you'd meet him. We all know that he could stand with the best of them and rarely accept defeat," said Mount Rose Fire Department Chief David Ayers."He was a wonderful young man whose smile always kept us in check. Jack will be missed beyond expression and his memory will live in our hearts forever."

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"It's what he's always wanted - he said FDNY were the best and he strived to be that," said Captain Rose's mother, Linda. "I am so grateful and so proud."

Representing Captain Rose at the ceremony were his parents, Linda and Gary, brother Matt and Sister-in-law Jess, and his niece Marley, along with dozens of Captain Rose's fellow Firefighters.

"Any time I talked with him he would say that he would want to become a Firefighter with the Fire Department of the City of New York and I believe he would have done that," said Deputy Chief Randy Ricks of the Centerville Fire Department - Cedar Grove where the fatal fire occurred. Commissioner Nigro added, Jack "was beloved by his community, respected by his peers, and is now, and forever, an honorary member of the FDNY."