On October 9, the Tallman Fire Department hosted a pizza party to thank Suffern Middle School students for their support. Seventy-five students in health teacher Diane DiAmbrosio’s class had written letters to Tallman and Suffern firefighters on September 11, in honor of the National Day of Service and Remembrance.
One eighth-grader wrote that the students wanted the department to know it’s people like them who make the community feel safe, since there hadn’t been a chance to properly thank the first responders who gave their lives on September 11.
The firefighters were moved by the students’ letters and arranged the pizza party visit in response. Chief Chris Stevens, whose family has volunteered with the department every generation since its founding in 1909, told the group how much the letters meant to them. President Steve Steinhardt added that it was special to receive something like that from people they didn’t even know.
Firefighters answered questions about their work, which ranges from responding to forest fires, structural collapses, and hazmat incidents to vehicle extrications and searching for lost hikers — in fact, a few members had to leave mid-lunch to respond to a fire call. The firefighters, all Ramapo Central alumni, encouraged students interested in becoming first responders to get involved with the Rockland County Fire & EMS Youth Academy.
DiAmbrosio credited Scholastic’s 9/11 Good Deed Challenge for inspiring the letter-writing project, reflecting that she wanted her students to see September 11 as an opportunity to give back to their community and show respect for those who made the ultimate sacrifice that day.