Honored at Orange County event last week
Before they left office in January as the respective chief and president of the Highland Falls Fire Department, Steve Suarez and Lynn Heuler sent a letter to Orange County Fire Coordinator/Deputy Commissioner of Emergency Services Vini Tankasali asking him to consider Highland Falls firefighter Kenny Conley for a lifetime achievement award.
Recently, their wish came true, when Orange County hosted a Meritorious Service Awards reception on, April 4, at the Graham Skea Lodge at Stony Ford Golf Course in Montgomery.
Awards were presented in the following categories: Law Enforcement, Fire, Emergency and Military Service — Conley received one of the fire awards.
“This event encourages us to honor our first responders who work hard every day to keep county residents safe,” Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said at the ceremony. He was not able to be at the event due to his military committment, but did join via video. “The men and women who commit their lives to public service in this capacity do not do it for awards or accolades, so it is truly my pleasure and privilege to recognize their exemplary service. Our first responders and military personnel deserve to be commended and appreciated for the work that they do and the sacrifices that they make.”
From that ceremony: “Kenneth Oscar Conley, Highland Falls Fire Department, was recognized for his 50 years of service. At the age of 86, Ken continues his legacy of dedication by being a top responder every year and being one of the members that can be counted on for help with any activity in the firehouse.”
Attending the ceremony with Conley were his wife MaryLou, Suarez and Heuler, current HFFD Chief Erik Smith, the Conleys’ daughter and son-in-law, Kim and Mickey Lee (now current members of Highland Engine in Cornwall), and their grandson Justin (now a firefighter in Maybrook).
When the ceremony was over, the Conleys returned to the Highland Falls Fire House, where there were firefighters waiting to congratulate him at a little impromptu party.
So why did the county decide to honor Conley? The letter Suarez and Hueller sent really says it all:
“Ken Conley has been a member of the Highland Falls Fire Department since 1960. His actual start date was recorded as June 1, 1960. He has played an active role up to December 1, 1986, at which point records show he went inactive but came back on board on July 1, 1987 and remains active to this day.
Kenny (as we call him) had been our staple chauffeur as far back as I can remember, working 90% of our calls to include major structure fires, motor vehicle accidents and natural disasters. He is always in the top five regarding the number of calls responded to and I never had to question if we were going to be able to get an engine out to whatever call we had. Kenny was that dependable.
Not only has he been dedicated to fire call responses, but he also serves on the Board of Directors and has taken on many projects around the fire house and has served as my token “go to guy” when things need to be done during the day, receiving goods, letting repairmen in, etc. These behind-the-scenes tasks he takes on are not seen by many people, but having volunteered with Kenny for over 20 years it goes without saying that the Department is in better hands because of him.
Age has slowly crept up on Kenny and his chauffeuring duties have been reduced to an as needed basis but that doesn’t stop him from coming down to nearly every call, making sure an engine gets out and then hopping on the Utility truck to get to the scene and provide assistance to all that need it.
I’m sure there aren’t many departments that can say they have an active 86-year-old member that not only comes around for meetings but actually responds on a truck. We’re fortunate to have him still in the Department, passing along his knowledge to the younger generation …although at his age, every generation is a younger one.”
Also honored at the ceremony was Matthew J. Cassidy, the United States Military Academy and West Point Force Protection and Anti-Terrorism Officer.
“A retired Gunnery Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, Cassidy has played an integral role in developing great working relationships with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Orange County FBI field office, and the New York Joint Terrorism task force, enhancing the mutual support they provide USMA,” county officials said.
