A personal tale: honoring heroic Oakland battalion chief who died in 1991
Honoring a hero from the 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm
Oakland firefighters are honoring a hero from the 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm. This year is the 30th anniversary of that deadly firestorm but no one has forgotten a battalion chief who died trying to save others.
OAKLAND, Calif. - At the Firestorm Memorial Garden Thursday, Oakland firefighters and residents gathered to remember a fallen firefighter.
They dedicated a new bench in honor of Oakland Battalion Chief James Riley who died in the East Bay firestorm, Oct. 20, 1991.
Anytime a public servant, particularly a firefighter gives his or her life in the line of duty they should be honored indefinitely. That s what we are doing today, said Oakland Fire Chief Reginald Freeman.
Updated 6 hours ago
On Monday, Reginald Freeman will be sworn in as Oakland s 37th fire chief.
Freeman, previously fire chief in Hartford, Connecticut, will take over for Deputy Chief Melinda Drayton, who has served as Oakland s interim chief since April 2020. Download our mobile app for iOS or Android to get the latest breaking news and local stories.
In addition to serving as Hartford chief since 2016, Freeman previously held roles as a firefighter/EMT, fire captain, fire service instructor and assistant fire chief.
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“It has been an enormous privilege serving the residents and firefighters of Hartford over the last five years, and I will miss both very much,” said Freeman. “The men and women of the Hartford Fire Department do outstanding service for our community each and every day, and it has been a true honor to work alongside them.
Assistant Chief Rodney Barco will serve as interim chief, the mayor s office announced. Barco has been a firefighter with the department for 25 years. Hartford has been fortunate to have one of the best fire chiefs in the nation for the last five years, and it is bittersweet to see Chief Freeman move on,” said Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin in a statement. “Chief Freeman has led our fire department with great distinction, and he has earned the trust and respect of all of us in city government, as well as residents across Hartford. He has been an incredibly effective advocate for our firefighters, hiring new classes of diverse recruits, making sure we’
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