Each year across our Nation, the fire service losses many of its bravest in the line of duty. Many others who have shared this bond of brotherhood also leave us, whether it is because of an accident or illness, or just that their time has finally come. We honor these individuals, their dedication, the commitment they made to protect the lives and property of complete strangers, and the sacrifice that some make in doing so.

Each year on the Sunday before Memorial Day, the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company visits the grave of each of our Honorary and Honorary Life Members. The Fire Company places a flag in their honor, a short biography is read aloud, and the assembly is called to attention and then to salute. On Memorial Day during the parade down Hopmeadow Street through the center of town, the Fire Company pauses at Main Station and places a wreath at the Frank Bradley Memorial in memory and honor of our Members who have passed.

Here you will learn about some of the wonderful people who have graced the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company and the Town of Simsbury with their service. We also pause to remember some of the significant events from around the region that have had a profound effect on us. This section is about Remembrance.

We often place memorials as a way of honoring and remembering significant events, the people  who were affected by them, and their importance to us. The fire service unfortunately has had to dedicate more than its fair share of mementos. These memorials take many forms and can be found in many places such as a granite marker laid at the base of a flagpole, a bronze plaque affixed to an apparatus bay wall, or simply a sticker placed on the back of a worn helmet. In the overwhelming amount of these occurrences, the remembrance was placed because someone was willing to unselfishly put them self in harm's way so that they may protect others.

Conceived as a tribute to America's fire service, the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial is one of this country's most beautiful monuments to courage and unselfish service. Constructed in 1981 on the campus of the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland, the Memorial was officially designated by Congress as the national Memorial to career and volunteer fallen firefighters in 1990. It is a symbol of honor for those who carry on the tradition of service to their communities.

The highlight of the Memorial is a sculptured bronze Maltese Cross. Throughout the centuries, the Maltese Cross has been adopted as a symbol by groups who provide aid in times of distress. The cross rests atop a 7-foot stone cairn, denoting its importance as a landmark monument. An eternal flame burns at the base of the cairn, representing the spirit of the firefighter—past, present, and future. A plaza in the shape of a Maltese Cross surrounds the Memorial. Plaques listing the names of firefighters killed in service to their communities since 1981 encircle the plaza.

Each October, a National Memorial Service sponsored by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is held at the monument site to honor all firefighters who have died in the line of duty during the previous year. The ceremony includes the placing of a Presidential Wreath at the monument and dedication of a plaque honoring those who died in the line of duty during the previous year. Thousands attend the weekend activities held at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The weekend features special programs for survivors and coworkers along with moving public ceremonies.

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation provides assistance to the survivors of fallen firefighters. Families receive emotional assistance through a Fire Service Survivors Network, which matches survivors with similar experiences and circumstances. To help with immediate and long-term financial concerns, the Foundation assists survivors with finding information regarding benefits available at the national level and in each state. The Foundation's scholarship program can help survivors achieve their educational goals.

Many states have also erected tributes to those who have given their lives in the line of duty including Connecticut. The Connecticut memorial sits on the grounds of the Connecticut Fire Academy in Windsor Locks and was designed by the Connecticut Firefighters Association Memorial Committee. The plaza features a brick patio in the form of a Maltese Cross complete with eight granite "reflecting" benches representing the counties of Connecticut. The centerpiece of the memorial is a 6'x12' polished black granite stone bearing the likeness of four firefighters fighting a blaze complete with an eternal flame placed at its base. Lieutenant Paul Walsh of the New Britain Fire Department completed the artist's rendering of the firefighters. Granite tablets around the base of the memorial carry the inscribed names of all Connecticut firefighters killed in the line of duty.

The World was at war in January 1944 when the Ensign-Bickford Company notified the Town of Simsbury that they would no longer be able to provide fire protection services to the Town because of the demands placed upon them due to the War effort. In April of that same year, seventeen draft-exempt men stepped forward to form what would become the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company. Frank Bradley was one of the original seventeen men who stepped forward. He was also one of the twelve from the group who was selected to attended training in "Firefighting Techniques".

Things began to evolve quickly. To finance the new Company, the Simsbury Fire District was created on June 5th, and the Company incorporated on June 29th having grown to twenty-six members. On July 2nd, the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company took possession of Ensign-Bickford's 1935 American LaFrance pumper. The Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company was now responsible for providing fire protection to the Town of Simsbury.

The arrival of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus was surely a welcomed and anticipated event when it rolled into Hartford that Summer. Approximately 8,000 people migrated into Hartford's North End on the afternoon of July 6th to take in the matinee performance. Frank Bradley, his wife and two young daughters were in the audience that day.

Shortly into the show, a small fire was spotted burning high on the sidewall of the tent. Initially the audience remained calm as they expected it to be extinguished quickly. Several employees rushed to douse the flames but were driven back as the fire erupted across the big top which was waterproofed with a mixture of gasoline and paraffin wax. In a matter of seconds, a joyful tranquility erupted into mass panic as the spectators stormed towards the exits in all directions.

	A memorial was erected on the lawn of the Main Station in memory of Frank Bradley and the others who have left us behind. Until the completion of the new Main Station where a new memorial was erected.

In the ensuing panic, Frank Bradley and his wife became separated from their two daughters as the fire moved rapidly across the tent consuming it. Frank Bradley and his wife entered the inferno to search for their missing daughters. Both of their daughters would escape the flames that day but tragically, neither of their parents would re-emerge from the big top.

The Bradley's names adorn the plaque of the Hartford Circus Fire Memorial.

 The ironies of the tragedy speak for them self. Fire Company physician Dr. Owen Murphy took-in Frank Bradley's daughters and raised them in their parent's absence. Frank Bradley tragically became the first member of the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company to leave us behind.

In September of 2010 The Simsbury Fire District opened its new Main Station. In the front of the Station The Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company and The Simsbury Fire District erected a new Frank Bradley Memorial. In the center of the walk way leading up to the main doors is the Frank Bradley Monument. Surrounding the monument engraved in the bricks are the names of The Fire Company’s Honorary Life Members who have passed away as well as Fire Company Members who passed away while still active. Directly in front of the monument is a place with the names of the Fire Company Members who gave the ultimate sacrifice and have died in the Line of Duty. Simsbury currently only has one LODD, Richard Kelleher who lost his life at the Knights of Columbus Fire.

The Frank Bradley Memorial in front of the Main Station with a wreath on memorial Sunday.

It was a job as the Finance Director for the Town of Simsbury that brought Richard Kelleher and his family to town. Known to his friends as Dick, he always had a special love for the fire service. His father had been a Hartford City firefighter retiring with the rank of Captain, and Dick had always wanted to be one too. Richard Kelleher joined the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company on September 26, 1975 an was assigned to Bushy Hill Station. He was appointed to the rank of Lieutenant in October 1981.

On the morning of November 6, 1981, a fire erupted at the Knights of Columbus Hall behind St. Mary's Church in Simsbury. The fire started in the garage and quickly extended throughout the second floor. The fire was well underway when the first units arrived on-scene. Approximately sixty-five firefighters answered the call that morning, including Dick Kelleher.

Crews went to work to bring the fire under control. Roof ventilation operations were ordered, and teams began to advance hose lines by several different points of access. Dick Kelleher was with a team on an exterior stairway helping to take a line to the second floor when he collapsed. Lt. Richard Kelleher died that morning of an apparent heart attack and sadly became the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company's first and only line of duty death. He was thirty-seven years young.

Over 700 people, including 400 firefighters, gathered to mourn Dick Kelleher's passing. Lieutenant Richard Kelleher was buried with honors and laid to rest in Fairview Cemetery in West Hartford, Connecticut. En route to the cemetery, the funeral procession drove past the West Hartford Fire Department Headquarters on Brace Road. The West Hartford firefighters and apparatus turned out on the apron as a sign of respect for their fallen brother.

	Dick Kelleher emcees the retirement dinner for dispatcher George Zedlitz in October 1980.

Dick Kelleher left behind a wife Ann, a daughter Sharon, and a son Ricky, who in later years went on to follow in his father's footsteps, and become a firefighter in the Newington Volunteer Fire Company in Newington, Connecticut.

This marker in remembrance of Richard Kelleher adorned the front lawn of the Main Station untill the Station replacement in 2010. It has been moved to its new home at The Firemens Clubhouse.

Next to Dick Kelleher's love for his family was his love for the Fire Company, as he was always very active and involved. He was known for his jokes, his smile, his enthusiasm and his dedication to the fire service. As one long-standing member from the Company put it, "Once you knew him, you never forgot him."

In honor of his service and his sacrifice, the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company founded the Lieutenant Richard Kelleher Memorial Scholarship. Each year, the staff at Simsbury High School selects an applicant to receive the scholarship. The scholarship is open to all Simsbury High School graduating students and interested persons should inquire at the guidance office for more information. In addition to the scholarship, each year members of the Simsbury Fire District and Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company, along with invited guests, gather for an awards dinner to recognize milestones in service, and to acknowledge members who have made outstanding individual contributions to the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company. This dinner is named in honor and memory of Lieutenant Richard Kelleher who gave his life in the line of duty.