Politics & Government

Hopatcong Dedicates Fire Dept. Monument [VIDEO]

Fireman: 'We're pleased and proud to serve you.'

Lisa Smith's father, Larry Lothian, would have turned 69 on Sunday. And he would have received a gift alongside his Hopatcong firefighter friends.

The borough dedicated a monument to its 88-year-old fire department in front of the on Sunday. It stands near another monument remembering the .

Smith watched the ceremony from the crowd. And she thought about her father, who died in a plane crash in Virginia when she was 16. Lothian, who had the park behind the named after him, was a 15-year member of the Hopatcong fire department.

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"He would be honored" to see the monument, Smith said. "He loved the fire department. That was his thing. He always wanted to be a fireman."

Mayor Sylvia Petillo said the monument, which was funded via a donation by Hudson Farm, took two years of planning. However, it's still not finished. Pavers and a walkway will be added to the tribute.

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"We took our time to make sure every detail was perfect so that this monument would truly represent our courageous firefighters," she said during a speech.

"There are so many things that you don't see that they do," she said later. "The amount of time they put into their training, the house and teamwork that goes into it—it's quite amazing."

Fire Chief Mike Rahill, Chaplain Frank Steinberg and Cadets Captain Tyler Ukleya also spoke to the crowd, which included many of the department's 80-plus members.

"We still have active members who have served over 50 years, and that is quite a thing," Steinberg said. "And these are people who still come out on calls. No matter what you call us, we'll be there. And we'll be there morning, noon or night, regardless of what weather. And we're pleased and proud to serve you."


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