Senator Patrick M. Gallivan (R-C, Elma) attended the 28th Annual New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial Ceremony Tuesday at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany. The names of 126 firefighters who gave their lives in the line of duty were added to the Memorial Wall, including two from Erie County.

Among those honored was Donald Trzepacz, Sr., past chief of Spring Brook Fire District #1 in Elma and Lieutenant Rebecca Eleczko of Millgrove Volunteer Fire Company in Alden.

“Today’s ceremony pays tribute to the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much to protect others and gives us an opportunity to offer our condolences to their families and fellow firefighters,” Senator Gallivan said.  “Don and Rebecca were dedicated public servants, committed to helping their neighbors and protecting their community. By placing their names on the Memorial Wall, along with the names of the other first responders being honored today, we ensure they will never be forgotten.”  

Trzepacz was serving as vice president of the Spring Brook Fire District #1 at the time of his death of an apparent heart attack on September 2, 2020. He was 67. As fire police captain, past chief, president, and fire commissioner, he was well-known in the firefighting and emergency services community.   

Eleczko comes from a firefighting family and served as a firefighter and EMT at Millgrove. She was 32 when she died of complications of COVID-19 on January 4, 2021. She was honored in 2022 at the National EMS Memorial in Arlington, Virginia and is the first person in the history of the Millgrove Volunteer Fire Department to have their number permanently retired.

The New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial recognizes the valor of those who have served their communities and is commemorated each year during Fire Prevention Week. As of this year, there will be 2,818 names on the wall, the earliest dating back to 1811.

                                                                                                       -30-