FIRE MEMORIAL: Drowned firefighters getting monument

Show Caption Hide Caption Video: Firefighter memorial service Current and retired members of the Binghamton Fire Department honored the memory of three firefighters who drowned during a rescue mission at Rockbottom Dam 40 years ago on Tuesday.

The waters of Rockbottom Dam, where three firefighters died in a rescue attempt 41 years ago, formed the backdrop Thursday as Binghamton officials broke ground on a memorial honoring their sacrifice.

Building that memorial was a promise to the fallen firefighters that took decades to fulfill, Binghamton Mayor Richard David said in a ceremony at Southside Park on Conklin Avenue. By January, he said, the city plans to complete a monument that will remind the community to never forget how a daring water rescue turned into tragedy.

Fire Chief John Cox, Firefighter John Russell and Capt. Donald McGeever drowned in a rescue and recovery effort that spanned two days in 1975.

The memorial monument will cost $36,000 for design, construction and materials, paid for through the city Parks Department and contributions from the IAFF Local 729 Binghamton Firefighters Union.

"Our firefighters know full well the dangers they encounter," David said Thursday. "But time and again, selflessly, they forge through to help others."

The Susquehanna River had been unusually high on Sept. 28, 1975, following an early fall storm. The waters swept two young rafters over the dam, trapping them in the churning current below.

Firefighters tried to rescue the rafters, but their first attempt failed, and on a second try, firefighters dragged one man out by using a rescue buoy. When they returned for the second man, the firefighters’ boat capsized and they were thrown into the water.

Two firefighters and the second rafter finally broke free from the backwash, but firefighter Russell drowned.

The next day, Cox, McGeever and Lt. Robert Dale returned to the river in an attempt to recover Russell’s body. As they approached the dam, their boat overturned and the men slipped below the surface.

Another rescue boat carrying Broome County Sheriff's Sgt. Beverly Tripp and Deputy Donald Stark was launched after them, but that also capsized. After a struggle in the raging water, Tripp, Stark and Dale were pulled out to safety — but Cox and McGeever drowned.

On Oct. 6, 1975, Russell's body was recovered six miles downstream.

The deaths shed light on the need to improve training techniques and equipment in these scenarios to avoid putting rescuers in harm’s way, according to Binghamton fire officials.

Efforts to memorialize the firefighters who drowned began in 2006, when City Council passed an ordinance to erect a monument. Those efforts never gained traction, David said, until after a ceremony last year that marked the 40th anniversary of the tragedy.

Speaking at Thursday's ceremony, Binghamton Fire Chief Dan Eggleston urged the community to remember Cox, Russell and McGeever as "brave souls, our brothers."

"The drama brings home to the community once again, and in a cruel manner, the dedication of the uniformed forces to their jobs," Eggleston said.

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