My grandfather, Joe Salerno, turned 93 this month and was once the assistant fire marshal for the Cicero Fire Department. He served for many years, and as a child, I grew up in the firehouse, where we got to see and even name some of the trucks that were there. Here are some old black and white photos.
I have newspaper clippings with pictures that describe the fires he fought. My grandfather started working in Cicero in 1954 and became assistant fire marshal in 1977. He saved many lives, including a baby who was thrown down to him from a third-floor building engulfed in flames. He still tells stories about those days as if they happened just yesterday. We all remember the firefighters from different stations—we literally grew up in the houses. Sadly, every firefighter, both younger and older than my grandfather, has passed away. He is now the last one of his kind.
Although he still drives and is fairly active, I know his time is limited. He recently lost his wife, who passed away at 92 after 70 years of marriage. Now he's alone, and his days are quiet and long, but he lights up when he talks about his firefighting days. As a World War II veteran who served in the Pacific during the time the atomic bomb was dropped on Japan, and after saving so many lives in Cicero, I want to show him that his life made a difference. I believe that as we age, we often forget how much our lives impacted others. I hope these photos can be added to the website so future generations can see his legacy.
I will send any pictures I have for the site. On Christmas, I showed him your website, and we found the firehouses where he used to work. We saw the trucks we took pictures of as kids—each of us had our own favorite truck at the station. The firefighters were like a second family. He was really excited to see the photos on your site, so I’m hoping we can add more. The Cicero Fire Department’s archive hasn’t responded to us yet.
Bob
Cicero Firefighter Joseph Salerno
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