As a retired fireman
and fire marshal,
Villager Richard W.
Tubby feels a sense
of brotherhood with
local firemen.
That’s one reason
why, on Saturday
night, he could be
found at Savannah
Center with his wife
Patricia.
The Village of
Santiago resident is
a member of the FDNY
343 Memorial Club,
and came to The
Villages
Firefighters Ball
with his fellow club
members, to enjoy
their company and
the chance to meet
local first
responders.
“There’s always a
bond with us,” he
said. “It’s like a
Marine — once a
Marine, always a
Marine.”
Tubby looks back
fondly on his time
as a New York
firefighter and fire
marshal.
“There was the
excitement. As a
marshal, there was
more excitement,” he
said. “It was a nice
job.”
More than 200
residents and
District Public
Safety Department
employees and their
spouses gathered at
the recreation
center for a special
evening of dining,
dancing and
recognizing
employees for their
hard work. Newly
hired firefighters
were also inducted.
Gina Lambert, the
District Public
Safety Department’s
emergency response
specialist, said
that the number of
tickets sold this
year was higher than
in the event’s
inaugural year.
“We had a better
turnout this year
than last year,” she
said. “And we
appreciate the
support from the
FDNY 343 Club. We’re
excited to install
the new firefighters
and hand out the
cardiac save
awards.”
Lambert said the
ball fulfilled
another purpose, to
help give the
department a history
of its own.
“We’re a young
department, and this
is part of our
history building
process,” she said.
Funds raised from
tickets and a chance
drawing went to help
restore a 1967 fire
engine, which the
department hopes to
use for special
occasions and
educational
purposes.
“And it’s just a
good night for us to
have a good time,”
Lambert added.
Julius E. Halas, the
director of the Fire
Marshals office of
Florida, was the
keynote speaker for
the event, and after
the awards, Rocky
and the Rollers
provided music for
dancing.
One newly hired
firefighter to be
inducted was Justin
Courtright, who said
he was very excited
to be at the event.
“This is my first
job as a
firefighter, and I
couldn’t be happier
here. It’s a big,
happy family,” he
said. He started
orientation a little
more than a week
ago.
“Just meeting
everyone and seeing
them all outside of
work, it’s nice to
do things with the
class,” he said.
“We’re going to be
working with them
for a while.”
The FDNY Club’s
firefighters also
enjoy that sense of
family. Tubby said
when he attended the
2009 ball, he had a
surprise.
“Last year, I ran
into two men I
worked with, one I
hadn’t seen in 47
years,” Tubby said.
“I almost didn’t
recognize them, but
they recognized me.”
Another club member
at the event was
John DeBiase, who
was with his wife
Christine. Like
Tubby, he had also
served 28 years. He
said he enjoyed the
bond that
firefighters share.
“Everybody was
always together,” he
said. “You do
everything together.
It was a very
exciting job.”
He said what was
special about his
career was that he
genuinely enjoyed
it.
“A lot of people
hate their job,”
DeBiase said. “We’ve
never hated our
job.”
Jessica Shumaker is
a reporter with the
Daily Sun. She can
be reached at
753-1119, ext. 9089
or
jessica.shumaker@thevillagesmedia.com.
