South Buffalo Alive hosted a flag-raising ceremony at the Firefighters Monument in Cazenovia Park on Friday, June 14. The new flag for the Flag Day presentation was provided by Congressman Brian Higgins. Retired Deputy Fire Commissioner Patrick Lewis raised the flag while several Buffalo firefighters and officials, elected officials and citizens looked on.
The monument honors five Buffalo firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty on Dec, 27, 1983, including Michael Austin, Michael Catanzaro, Matthew Colpoys, James Lickfield and Anthony Waszkielewicz.
A South Buffalo native, Lewis retired from the Buffalo Fire Department in 2010. He said he was honored to be given the opportunity to raise the flag at such an important local monument.
South Buffalo Alive is a volunteer-based organization committed to maintaining beautiful parks and public gardens. Please follow the organization on Facebook for frequent updates.
