Photos and story by Ron Jeffers
On the anniversary of his line-of-duty death, local firefighters, family and friends gathered at Wallington (NJ) Truck Co. 1’s firehouse to remember their fallen hero.
MORE PHOTOS FROM THE MEMORIAL >>
It was on February 28th, 2014, that Captain Greg “Barney” Barnas died while fighting a two-alarm restaurant fire in his hometown. He fell from the roof while cutting a ventilation hole. Barnas was also a career fire captain in Jersey City, assigned to Ladder Co. 6 in the Downtown area.
Fallen New Jersey Firefighter Gregory Barnas Laid to Rest
Captain Barnas was a loving husband and father, a fire academy instructor, EMT, a fire inspector, and much more. He also served as chief of his volunteer department.
On February 28th, 2015, firefighters in dress blues, as well as family and friends, assembled in the freezing weather in front of the firehouse to remember Barney. The were a few shot speeches and a poem about their Brother in Blue. A wreath and flowers were placed at the Firemen’s Monument in front of the firehouse.
Many stories were told about Barney, but not all were about firefighting, but about his kindness. He was the guy who would show up with a shovel to help a neighbor during a snowstorm and who had once washed a neighbor’s car for no reason. He enjoyed being kind without expecting anything in return.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Barnas’ son, Kevin a Jersey City career firefighter, and his mother, Patty, unveiled a mural painted on the side of Truck 1’s rear mount aerial ladder dedicating the rig to Captain Barnas. The mural was created by local artist, Ed May, who was one of Barney’s a life-long friends.
After his death, Patty and her son’s Kevin and John started the Greg Barnas Firefighter Benefit Fund in his memory. Originally, the foundation focused on supporting firefighter safety and education, with an accent on departments that receive no local or federal funding. Four months after Barney’s death, John, 23, a Wallington volunteer firefighter who was on the Civil Service list to appointed to the F.D.J.C., died of pneumonia, a complication of his four-year battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Since losing her son, Patty Barnas has expanded the fund to also address blood cancer and bone-marrow and stem-cell transplants.
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