Fallen firefighter to be part of national tribute
By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com
Fallen North Belle Vernon firefighter Neil Cope will be honored Sunday along with 81 other people during a virtual tribute to those who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2019.
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation will put on a virtual production, “America’s Tribute to Fallen Firefighters,” which will honor 82 firefighters who were killed in 2019 and 21 who died in previous years.
Each year the foundation hosts an annual memorial for fallen firefighters in Emmitsburg, Md., at the site of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial.
This year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers were forced to postpone the gathering and take a virtual approach.
Cope was 46 when he died at his home in North Belle Vernon after responding to a mutual aid call in Rostraver Township around 1:30 a.m. July 16, 2019.
He called his wife, Kimberly, around 7:30 p.m., but she was not able to get in touch with him later that night. When she returned home, she found him unresponsive.
Cope was a dedicated community servant, beginning his calling as an EMT for Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services and then as a dispatch supervisor.
He then joined the Fayette City Volunteer Fire Company, where he served as safety officer.
He briefly served with Monessen Fire Department No. 1 before moving to the NBV fire department, joining for two years in 1993 and returning in 2017 as third lieutenant.
In 2018, he became recording secretary and treasurer for the department, and in 2019 he was promoted to first lieutenant.
NBV Fire Chief Kurt Parshall said it’s an honor to see him memorialized in such a special way.
“Losing Neil was not an easy thing to go through,” he said. “It’s hard to put into words what it’s like losing someone, especially being that he was the first person we lost since I took over the department. It was rough.
“I think I can speak on behalf of our entire department when I say we are happy to see him honored in this way. He deserves it. He gave his life for this.”
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