This past Saturday, August 5th, Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Broad Channel) presented an official New York State Assembly Resolution honoring Edwin F Wilmarth, Jr., who today turned 70 years old and on Saturday marked 50 years with the Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department. Wilmarth is a sixth-generation volunteer firefighter, and still serves as an Engineer in the VFD. All three of his children became volunteer firefighters as well, making them seventh-generation.

"Mr. Wilmarth has served as a firefighter, a company officer, and an elected Deputy Chief from 1975 – 1977," said Pheffer Amato. "For the last twenty-plus years, he's held the rank of Chief Engineer, where he is in charge of vehicle maintenance, as well as the rank of Head Chauffeur, training new members on how to drive and pump engines, all while still actively responding to alarms. He's also held the rank of President of the Volunteer Fireman's Association of the City of New York, representing the many other Volunteer Fire Departments in our City. Wilmarth has dedicated his entire adult life to the Volunteer Fire Service and to the town of Broad Channel, and it speaks volumes that all three of his children went into the service with him. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude, and may God make us all as productive, energetic, faithful and wonderful people at age 70 as the Chief is today!"