Fallen Bristol Borough fire police captain remembered
alYiESTlWN – Family members stood quietly, occasionally wiping tears from their eyes, as the name of aavid A. Wintz Sr., freshly etched into the Fallen Firefighters Memorial, was unveiled Sunday morning for the first time at the Bucks County Courthouse in aoylestown.
Wintz, a fire police captain with Bristol Fire Company Station 51 and a 50-year veteran of the fire service, fell ill after responding to a fire call at the aow Chemical Plant in Croydon on May 16. He went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to iower Bucks Hospital where he later died at the age of 65.
Wintz’s family, the pain of their sudden loss still evident in their faces, lovingly touched the granite memorial, passing their fingers over the spot bearing Wintz’s name.
His name is among 23 now listed on the memorial, the earliest dating back to 1915, the year another Bristol Fire Company firefighter died in the line of duty. His name was Walter Moore, who was killed while the apparatus he was riding in was struck by a train while responding to house boat fires.
“These men are the true heroes of the fire service of Bucks County,” said Paul hrueler, president of the Bucks County Fire Chief’s and Firefighter’s Association, during a memorial service on Sunday remembering Wintz and the 22 other firefighters who have given their lives in the line of duty in Bucks County.
“There is no greater sacrifice a person can make then to lay down their life protecting the life of another. These men gave their lives protecting the residents of this county. We must never forget that,” he said.
U.S. Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick said when Wintz answered his final call in May, there were no public officials and no cheering crowds. “They were at home knowing their town, their community and our country was being protected by each of you,” he told the firefighters assembled at the ceremony from throughout the county.
Fitzpatrick described Wintz as a “model citizen and an invaluable asset to the community. He volunteered at every borough event and fes-
festival and was known to everyone in town. He was a mentor to the fire service crew and a role model to everyone who knew him.
“His noble death was befitting of his heroic life,” said Fitzpatrick.
Noting that heart attacks are a top killer of firefighters, Bucks County Commissioner aiane Ellis-Marseglia said despite the health risks, the stress and the danger, they continue to respond to fires to keep the community safe.
“It is truly inspiring to know that despite the dangers out there that there are young people, middle age people and older people who answer that call every time and accept that responsibility and that danger for all of us,” said Ellis-Marseglia.
State Rep. Frank Farry, also the fire chief of the ianghorneMiddletown Fire Company, and State Rep. hathy Watson acknowledged the Wintz family with a condolence resolution from the House of Representatives, sponsored by Farry and Rep. gohn dalloway, and from the State Senate of Pennsylvania, sponsored by Tommy Tomlinson.
After reading the proclamation, firefighters in attendance at the ceremony saluted as family members, representatives from the Bristol Fire Company and the Bucks County Fire Police Association, Congressman Fitzpatrick, Commissioner Ellis-Marseglia and State Reps. Farry and Watson laid wreaths next to the memorial in a symbolic gesture of remembrance of Wintz and the 22 other firefighters who have died in the line of duty in Bucks County.
A fire bell, rung by Wintz’s son, aavid gr., tolled 23 times for each firefighter, including his dad, who made the supreme sacrifice while protecting and serving their communities. Bob Hedden read each of their names.
The bell rang again, this time tolling seven times for the Pennsylvanians who died in the line of duty in 2012. Hedden read the names while Bucks County Fire Marshal Nicholas Rafferty tolled the bell.
The ceremony closed with a final salute from the firefighters as bagpipe music filled the courtyard.
Members of the Wintz family, followed by the more than 50 firefighters in attendance, filed past the Fallen Firefighters Memorial placing red and white carnations in a final gesture of remembrance.