FFD Honors Former Assistant Chief Killed In Line Of Duty

Fulton Fire Department Photo*

Incoming Chief David Eiffe, incoming Assistant Chief Shane Laws, and Department Chaplain Fr. John Canarro lead the ceremony at Fulton’s east side station.

Fulton Fire Department honors former Assistant Chief Elsworth J. Rude who died in the line of duty on this day in 1927.

Fulton Fire Department honors former Assistant Chief Elsworth J. Rude who died in the line of duty on this day in 1927.

Dozens of retired and current Fulton firefighter, city officials, and members of the public gathered at Asst. Chief Rude’s remembrance ceremony.

Those in attendance at the remembrance ceremony join Father John Canarro in prayer.

Members of duty shift lower the flag to half staff during a moment of silence.

Fulton firefighters stand at attention as the flag is lowered to half staff.

Members of duty shift salute the flag after lowering it to half staff during the remembrance ceremony for former Assistant Chief Elsworth Rude.

Incoming Chief David Eiffe, incoming Assistant Chief Shane Laws, and Department Chaplain Fr. John Canarro lead the ceremony at Fulton’s east side station.

Fulton Fire Department honors former Assistant Chief Elsworth J. Rude who died in the line of duty on this day in 1927.

Retired and current Fulton firefighters gather at the graveside of former Assistant Chief Elsworth Rude on the 90th anniversary of his death.

Department Chaplain Fr. John Canarro prays over the grave of former Assistant Chief Elsworth Rude alongside incoming Chief David Eiffe and incoming Assistant Chief Shane Laws.

FULTON, NY – It was 90 years ago today (June 12) when Fulton Fire Department’s Assistant Chief, Elsworth J. Rude rushed into a burning house in attempt to save what was assumed to be sleeping members of the Dwyer family.

At 63 years old, Assistant Chief Rude showed no hesitation to perform his duties although ultimately that meant losing his life.

As he fearlessly performed his task of taking up the hose, Assistant Chief Rude fell and suffered a traumatic injury to his throat area.

As he gasped for air, several of his fellow firefighters attempted to save him to no avail. Chief Rude asphyxiated and succumbed to his injuries on that day while he was still at the house he was so desperately trying to save.

Today, incoming Chief of the Fulton Fire Department, David Eiffe shared the story of Fulton’s own hero Elsworth Rude on the 90th anniversary of his death during a remembrance ceremony in his honor.

“Recognizing Chief Rude today seemed appropriate and long overdue,” he said of the ceremony beginning at the Fulton Fire Department’s east side station and continuing at the graveside of Chief Rude at Mount Adnah Cemetery.

Incoming Chief Eiffe said he just recently learned of four Fulton firefighters on the memorial wall in Albany, having only known of one firefighter killed in the line of duty beforehand.

“It’s my intention as Chief to recognize each of those four individuals on the days of their death,” incoming Chief Eiffe said.

The remembrance ceremony began at the east side station where retired and current Fulton firefighters, city officials, and members of the public gathered to honor Assistant Chief Rude.

Department Chaplain Father John Canarro opened the ceremony in prayer.

“As we come this day to remember a fallen hero, it is a reminder to us that each day is an opportunity to serve one another but it also could be the day that we are called home. May each of us be mindful of the tasks that we undertake to serve our brothers and sisters when they call out in need, but also be mindful that we may give our life in that service,” he started in prayer.

Incoming Chief Eiffe went on to share Assistant Chief Rude’s background and commitment to serve.

Born in Granby in August of 1863, Rude was just 20 years old when he began his duties in serving the Fulton community as a firefighter in 1884.

“In 1905 the Fulton Fire Department came to be as we know it today, a career fire department. So, his start date in the career fire department was 1905. At the time of his death he was 63 years old and had served in the capacity of a firefighter all the way up to assistant chief for 43 years, most of his adult life. He was the longest serving and oldest member of the fire department at the time of his death,” Eiffe explained.

In his plentiful career, Rude was present at the first recorded line of duty death at the Fulton Fire Department in 1914, with his death to follow just thirteen years later.

Rude shared his life with his wife, Mable, who gave him one son, William, all of whom are buried together at Mount Adnah cemetery.

“According to his obituary, Chief Rude passed away just as he would have wanted to – performing his duties as a firefighter,” Eiffe said.

He read a section of Rude’s obituary which described him as having “ … a record as a fireman and a man that few equal and none surpass.”

“I can only gather that he was quite a guy,” Eiffe said.

Members of the duty shift lowered the flag to half staff during a moment of silence as local police and firefighters at the ceremony stood at attention.

The department ceremoniously performed the “striking of the four fives,” a tradition rooted in the New York City Fire Department when a system of bell commands and telegraphs passed along daily announcements and fire alarms.

At a time before radios or pagers, the bell commands were used as a means of communicating with each announcement following its own number and series of bell strikes.

For a line of duty death of a firefighter or some important official or personage, headquarters would transmit five bell strikes repeated in four series with a slight pause between each series.

This tradition can be followed back as far as 1865 when the New York City Fire Department used the bell system to inform the rank and file of the death of Abraham Lincoln.

In the honor of Assistant Chief Rude, Fulton Fire Department will name their newest fire engine after him as well as the three other Fulton firefighters who lost their life in the line of duty.

“Fulton is not large when compared to other career departments, but one line of duty death is one too many. It’s good for us all to know where we came from and to learn our history,” incoming Chief Eiffe said.

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