By Daniel Suddeath
The Evening News and The Tribune
NEW ALBANY, Ind. — The sun broke through the clouds literally seconds after New Albany Fire Department Chief Matt Juliot made the call to put the Kenneth Stewart swift boat into action Wednesday.
Described by his family and colleagues as a fun-loving guy who was devoted to his job, the illumination of the sky was probably just how Stewart — the only New Albany firefighter to die in the line of duty — would have wanted the ceremony to end.
The fire department named its new 25-foot landing craft after Stewart and held a dedication service in his honor at Fire Station No. 3 at 316 E. Spring St.
“It’s a small way to say thank you to a guy that gave his life,” Mayor Doug England said.
Stewart died after being thrown from a fire engine while responding to a call near Culbertson Avenue on Oct. 6, 1963. One of his three children, Walter Stewart, was 21 years old when his father died. More than 45 years since the accident, he vividly remembers that terrible day.
“I was with my father that morning before the alarm came in. It was a sunny day, a nice day. We talked and everything — and it changes in a heartbeat,” he said.
Juliot presented Stewart’s family members with plaques commemorating the firefighter’s sacrifice. He said the department is proud to have Stewart’s name posted atop its rescue boat.
“This will serve as an ongoing memorial to his sacrifice,” Juliot said.
Walter Stewart said some good has come from his father’s death. Firefighters are no longer allowed to ride on the back of the truck as they did in the 1960s because of situations such as his father’s.
While Wednesday marked the first official day of operation for the Kenneth Stewart fire boat, it was actually purchased last year after officials decided a Zodiac rescue craft owned by the fire department was meant for lake use, not the churning waters of the Ohio River.
Juliot said the fire department is trying to sell the Zodiac craft to offset the costs of the $100,000 landing craft.
Since being purchased, the craft and 20-member swift boat rescue team have been called into action, most notably during a February accident along the Ohio River when a barge collided with the Sherman Minton Bridge.
But some members of the New Albany City Council weren’t happy with how the boat was bought, as the funding came from money appropriated to cover any shortfall in the city’s retirement fund.
Council President Dan Coffey said at the time, the council was under the belief that if the funding wasn’t needed for retirement, then it would return to the Economic Development Income Tax fund.
But an emergency was declared and the New Albany Board of Public Works and Safety approved the purchase of the new craft.
Juliot said the right decision was made, as New Albany and surrounding counties would have to depend on Louisville rescue in case of an emergency without the boat, as most communities near Floyd County do not have a rescue craft.
That could mean up to 45 minutes for a response just in New Albany. Juliot added that his firefighters would not have been safe in the previous vessel.
“They were scared to be in the river in that boat,” he said.
The department is pursuing grants to have more firefighters trained for boat rescue, Juliot continued.
England backed Juliot’s decision.
“To be a river city, it does not make sense for our fire department not to have a rescue boat,” he said. “I think the chief and the fire department did the right thing.”
Copyright 2009