Service arrangements announced for firefighter who died in line of duty
BURRILLVILLE — Funeral arrangements have been announced for fallen firefighter Richard A. Jenks who died in the line of the duty Wednesday in Pascoag.
Lt. Jenks, a 33-year veteran of the Pascoag Fire Department, died after collapsing at the scene of a chimney fire on Hill Road in Pascoag. He was 72.
Calling hours will be held Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. with a memorial prayer service scheduled for 6 p.m. at Boucher Funeral Home, 272 Sayles Avenue, Pascoag.
The department is asking the general public to pay their respects between 2 and 5 p.m. to allow firefighters to pay their respects between 5 and 6 p.m. Hundreds of firefighters from across the state and beyond are expected to attend.
Attendees from the general public are asked to park in the parking lot of the former Father Holland
School, 180 Sayles Avenue. Detailed information for visiting fire departments will be disseminated before Sunday via local fire department radio, social media, and official releases to area fire departments.
The death of Jenks is the first line-of-duty death in the 114-year history of the Pascoag Fire Department, and the second in the history of the fire service in Burrillville, which has four other fire companies.
Jenks returned home late Thursday morning led by a police and fire escort that accompanied the body of the fallen firefighter from the medical examiner’s office in Providence to the Boucher Funeral Home.
Jenks was one of several firefighters who arrived on scene Wednesday morning to fight a chimney fire at a single-family log cabin-style home on Hill Road.
Jenks first joined the ranks of the Pascoag Fire Department in June 1970 at the age of 25 through membership in Pascoag Hose Company #2. Between 1970 and 1988, he served for a total of 13 years with that Company, after which time he re-affiliated to the ranks of Pascoag Hose Company #1. Between 1989 and 2018 he served a total of 20 active years in Hose Company #1 alongside his wife, Sharon A. (Sherman) Jenks, herself a 28-year veteran of the Pascoag Fire Department, until his passing.
Most recently Jenks served as the departmental safety officer, holding the rank of lieu- tenant.
His colleagues said firefighter safety was a paramount concern of Jenks, and that he took his role very seriously, often collaborating with fellow safety officers from neighboring fire departments within the Town of Burrillville. Through his active membership in Pascoag Hose Company #1, an independent social entity of the Department, he participated in countless social, fundraising, and philanthropic activities.
Jenks was often found “puttering” around the firehouse, either using his electrician background to make repairs throughout the fire station or tending to matters of firefighter safety.
In addition to his mem- bership in the Pascoag Fire Department, Lt. Jenks served as a per diem employee at the Nasonville Fire Department in the town of Burrillville, spending countless hours patrolling Wright’s Farm Restaurant on a weekly basis as a fire safety detail.
He was employed as a lineman for the Pascoag Utility District for 41 years, retiring in 2011. He served as an elected member of the Pascoag Board of Utility Commissioners for the past seven years.
Lt. Jenks was also a member of the United States Air Force from 1964 to 1968, serving at the rank of sergeant. He was a member of the Rhode Island Air National Guard from 1978 to 2005, retiring at the rank of master sergeant. He served in deployments to Vietnam, Thailand, Kuwait, and southwest and southeast Asia.
In addition to his wife, Jenks is survived by two sons, Gregory R. Jenks, and Travis R. Jenks, both of Pascoag; three daughters, Wendy Jenks Chamberlin and Sandra Leplat of Pascoag, and Laura Baptista of Harrisville; and 10 grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Jenks’ name can be made to Wounded Warriors Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8517 or the Fireman’s Relief Fund, Pascoag Fire Department Hose #1 & #2, 141 Howard Ave. Pascoag, RI 02859.