Bill Text: NY J02077 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourning the death of Raymond J. Baker, Sr., meritorious firefighter, loving and devoted husband and father, and distinguished member of his community
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-04-03 - ADOPTED [J02077 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-J02077-Introduced.html
Senate Resolution No. 2077 BY: Senator HARCKHAM MOURNING the death of Raymond J. Baker, Sr., meritorious firefighter, loving and devoted husband and father, and distinguished member of his community WHEREAS, There are certain outstanding members of our community who, through their selfless commitment and dedication, have served to better the quality of life in our community and have had a measurable positive impact on the lives of its residents; Raymond J. Baker, Sr., was one such individual; and WHEREAS, Raymond J. Baker, Sr., Deputy Chief of the Golden's Bridge Fire Department, died on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at the age of 64; and WHEREAS, Born in Hartsdale, New York, to Raymond and Millie Baker on July 1, 1959, Raymond J. Baker, Sr., was captivated by firefighting at an early age, watching his father, a licensed electrician, respond to alarms as a volunteer firefighter with the Greenburgh Fire Department; and WHEREAS, As soon as he became age-eligible, Raymond J. Baker, Sr., joined the Hartsdale Fire Department as a volunteer and then went on to become a career firefighter with the department in 1980; and WHEREAS, Raymond J. Baker, Sr., met the love of his life, the former Ann Duggan, in 1991 after an introduction by a mutual friend in the department; he and Ann, a retired educator who taught for more than 35 years at Our Lady of Sorrows Elementary School in White Plains, New York, were married in 1993 and moved from Hartsdale to Somers in 1995; and WHEREAS, Together, the couple raised their two wonderful children, Raymond Jr., who is also a Lieutenant with the Lewisboro Volunteer Ambulance Corps and an emergency room technician at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York, and Ryan J. Baker, a mathematics teacher at BOCES Westchester; and WHEREAS, Deputy Chief Raymond J. Baker, Sr., retired in 2013 after a 33-year career with the Hartsdale Fire Department; in addition to responding to thousands of fire alarms and other emergency calls as a firefighter, he was a certified bailout training officer and licensed to operate all the department's fire trucks; trained and licensed in the electrical trade, he also served as the Hartsdale Fire Department's lead electrician charged with maintaining, repairing, and replacing the hamlet's alarm boxes; and WHEREAS, Furthermore, in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City, Deputy Chief Raymond J. Baker, Sr., joined hundreds of firefighters at the World Trade Center site and was stationed for a period of time in the Bronx, supporting firehouses whose personnel were working in the recovery effort; and WHEREAS, Overlapping part of his full-time service with the Hartsdale Fire Department was a decade as a volunteer with the Somers Fire Department, where from 2007 to 2017 he held several leadership and officer ranks, including Lieutenant, Captain, Second and First Assistant Chief, and Fire Chief; and WHEREAS, Deputy Chief Raymond J. Baker, Sr., joined the Golden's Bridge Fire Department in 2016 as a mutual aid member, reuniting in the fire services with the eldest of his two sons; one of his proudest moments in his fire services career was serving alongside his son for the past eight years, and together rising through the ranks- he as Deputy Chief and Baker Jr. as Fire Lieutenant; and WHEREAS, A true mentor, Deputy Chief Raymond J. Baker, Sr., was always more than willing to share his lifetime of experience, expertise, and knowledge about firefighting with his colleagues, especially newcomers and young members of the departments he served; he held numerous federal, state and county certifications in fire and emergency response, such as incident command, firefighter survival, essentials of firemanship, firefighter assist and search team tactics, passenger train emergency rescue, accident victim extrication, trench rescue, hazardous material incident command, national incident management system, national response plan, and many others; and WHEREAS, Deputy Chief Raymond J. Baker, Sr. was the quintessential public servant; he was a great firefighter and an even better human being who gave four-and-a-half decades of his life to safeguarding the residents of his community; and WHEREAS, A conservationist who enjoyed the great outdoors, especially hunting and fishing, Deputy Chief Raymond J. Baker, Sr., was also a model train enthusiast who relished the challenge of building replicas and learning everything he could about trains; and WHEREAS, Deputy Chief Raymond J. Baker, Sr., is survived by his wife, Ann; their children, Raymond Jr. (Laura) and Ryan (Julianna); and his many firefighter colleagues whom he always considered his sisters and brothers; he is predeceased by his parents, Raymond and Millie, and a sister, Louise; and WHEREAS, Throughout his meritorious life, Raymond J. Baker, Sr., touched many through his kindness and commitment to service, and, as we recall the loss of this great man, we memorialize his remarkable life and the enormous impact he had on everyone with whom he came in contact; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to convey its grateful appreciation and heartfelt regret in recognition of a courageous firefighter who dedicated his purposeful life and career in faithful service to his family and community; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to pay tribute to the life and valiant service of Deputy Chief Raymond J. Baker, Sr.; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to the family of Deputy Chief Raymond J. Baker, Sr.