Jersey City Captain Mark Lee, of Engine Co. 10
Photo by RON JEFFERS
Jersey City Engine 10, and the Chief of the 3rd Battalion, participated in the Wallington F.D.'s annual holiday parade, November 25th. The participation is in part to honor the memory of Captain Mark Lee, of Engine Co. 10. Captain Lee maintained a fire department tradition that was started by members of his firehouse, before him. That tradition included collecting contributions of toys to provide a gift for children in the community that may not otherwise have received a gift for Christmas. The toys were collected and wrapped at the former quarters of Engine 10 and Truck 12, on Halladay Street. Captain Lee died from health problems believed to have been stemmed from his work at Ground Zero after the 9-11 terrorist attacks. The captain's wife, Cheryl, has continued the toy drive as it's "Incident Commander" for many years, in memory of her husband. Wallington is also part of the FDJC's life. Several years ago, Jersey City Captain Greg Barnas, of Ladder Co. 6, died in the line of duty while battling a fire in Wallington, where he served as a volunteer firefighter and EMT. His son, Kevin, is a captain assigned to Engine Co. 8.