Funeral Set For Fallen Firefighter

SPRING VALLEY, NY — A funeral for firefighter Jared Lloyd, who died Tuesday rescuing residents in a massive fire at the Evergreen Court Home for Adults, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Palisades Credit Union Park Boulder Stadium in Pomona.

Lloyd was "that guy" you could call on for anything, Spring Valley Fire Chief Ken Conjura said Friday at a news briefing. Conjura was accompanied by other fire officials, a Rockland County Sheriff's deputy and canine, and two agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

"He was that guy that you could call and he would be here in a minute. He was that guy that you want to have on your team. He's going to be a big, big, tremendous loss to this department," Conjura said. "He died as a hero. We still don't know how many people he pulled out of that building by himself."

The Spring Valley volunteer department was called at 1 a.m. Tuesday for a smoke condition at the assisted living facility. They arrived to find a dangerous fire already lapping at the second and third stories.

"The rescue efforts were unbelievable — what these guys did," Conjura said. "The moment these guys got off the truck they knew what they were getting themselves into when they were running into the building."

112 residents were rescued that morning, some of them helped, some carried, some dragged.

"Jared pushed to the last possible second," Conjura said, describing how a resident trapped in the fire had called 911. "Jared and a few other of his colleagues pushed their way to the third floor and located the victim. On their way out conditions worsened and he was separated from his crew. He radioed for help and we were unable to get to him."

In addition to Lloyd, a resident died. Four are still hospitalized, said Rockland County Director of Fire and Emergency Services Chris Kear. Minor injuries among firefighters and residents included smoke inhalation. One firefighter was taken to Westchester Medical Center because of carbon monoxide levels in his blood.

Lloyd leaves behind him two boys aged 4 and 6, Conjura said. "He was the only son of his parents. Speaking with his mother she wanted everybody to know he died doing what he loved."

"He was my friend, I will never forget him," he said. "He sacrificed himself for this community every day."

The team investigating the fire's causes expanded to include the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Two agents from ATF were introduced at the Friday news briefing. Agencies announced earlier include New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Office of Fire Prevention and Control and the Spring Valley Police Department.

The fire alarms went off 90 minutes after the end of a cleaning ritual for Passover, which included high heat in the industrial ovens at the assisted living facility to rid them of any leavening agents.

The alarm system had been put on "test" so that the department wouldn't respond to any alarm triggered by mistake during the ritual.

The timeline of the ritual, the alarms and the 911 call to Spring Valley police which first alerted responders to the blaze will all be accounted for in the investigation, said Kear. "Every minute, every second. It's a very high priority for the investigators."