Funeral Held For Long Island Firefighter Fatally Injured In Woodmere Blaze
INWOOD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Hundreds of firefighters from around the country lined the streets to pay tribute to a Long Island firefighter killed in the line of duty.
The funeral for 43-year-old Joseph Sanford, Jr. was held Wednesday morning at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Inwood, Long Island.
"These people put their lives on the line every single day just going to that next, unknown emergency," said Mike Lombardo, retired chief of the Buffalo Fire Department. "He certainly did that and he gave his all."
"If you needed him, he was there," longtime friend Diane Tyler told 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck. "If he passed you and you had a flat tire, he's going to stop."
"He was fantastic, his wife was fantastic, I just couldn't believe it," Tyler told WCBS 880's Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs.
The 17-year veteran firefighter was hurt on Dec. 19 while battling a blaze at a home in Woodmere. He died four days later.
Thousands of firefighters attended Sanford's wake on Tuesday. In honor of his service to Nassau County, flags on all county buildings will fly at half-staff until Jan. 30.
Sanford is survived by his wife and their 19-year-old daughter.
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