Community Corner

Firefighters Remember Friend and Colleague John Orme

The funeral for young volunteer firefighter John Orme took place at 10 a.m. Friday morning at the Sacred Heart Church, 76 Broad Street.

 

O’Boyle’s Funeral Home was filled to capacity Thursday for the wake of young volunteer firefighter John Orme. Friends and family joined firefighters and police officers to pay their respects from 3:00-8:00 pm, creating a traffic jam on Broad Street for several hours.

A lifelong resident of Bloomfield, Orme was only twenty-three years old when he passed away suddenly on Saturday, May 26 at Mountainside Hospital.  No details are yet known as to the cause of his death but, according to those who knew him, there is a great deal to be celebrated about his life.

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“He was a young ambitious kid, full of ideas and energy.  He was overly exuberant at times.  He was a big guy and he made a big impression,” said Bloomfield Lieutenant Firefighter Harry Parsons.

Parsons, who describes his relationship with his young protégé as “one of mutual respect” said the Bloomfield Fire Department, as well as the entire Wallington NJ Fire Department where he volunteered, came Orme’s wake on Thursday night. “They loved him over there [in Wallington], too.” 

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“He had many, many friends,” said Steve Rosen, also a volunteer firefighter.  “This is a kid who had his life ahead of him.  He was in love with being a fire fighter.  If we were out on storm duty he’d be out for 24 hours or more.” 

In a letter to Patch on Wednesday, Rosen wrote: 

“John was a life-long resident of Bloomfield, and he always wanted to give back to the community he loved so much.  In 2007 John joined the volunteer rescue company of the Bloomfield Fire Department.  From the first day he joined the department, John always went above and beyond in his dedication to helping the community.  John prided himself on being the first person to respond and one of the last to leave a call or his duty shift.  No matter what was asked of him, John would never say "no," and he would enthusiastically complete his assignment to the best of his ability.”

Bloomfield firefighters agreed with Rosen’s words.

“He never shied away from any task.  He was the first one to be there and the last one to leave,” recalled Bloomfield Chief Inspector Samuel Infante. “He was well liked by everyone.  A brother to all of us.  On Memorial Day, the mayor described him as a gentle giant.”

Rosen said when Orme joined the volunteer squad in 2007, he had every intention of one day being a firefighter with the Bloomfield Fire Department. 

“But,” explained Rosen, “you get hired by your ranking order.  John was ranked 32 or 33.  He was eligible to be hired but they only hired six [new firefighters] this year.”

Though Orme never got the chance to be hired, he continued to work tirelessly as a volunteer.  Paid or not, he loved his work and by all accounts would have succeeded in his quest to be a Bloomfield firefighter one day.

“It was his dream,” said Rosen.

On Thursday night, a night Orme usually would have been on duty, Firehouse Number Three in Bloomfield was filled with friends and coworkers who had gathered to remember him, a young volunteer who had meant so much to so many.

“The whole department in here,” said Parsons.  “We ordered a couple of pizzas.  Everyone is talking about John.  He was an outstanding firefighter.  I wish the rest of the town could have known John and known the contribution he made.”

 

On Friday, June 1, Broad Street was closed from Liberty to Park Street from 9:00 am – 12 noon.  Leaving from O’Boyle’s Funeral Home - 309 Broad Street, the procession convened at the Sacred Heart Church, 76 Broad Street, for the 10:00 a.m. funeral mass. 

Following the ceremony, the procession, led by police and fire department vehicles, drove past Fire House #3 on East Passaic Avenue, where John Orme worked.  The cortege then proceeded to the Garden State Parkway South and continued to the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover NJ.

 

Donations can be sent to the Bloomfield Volunteer Fire Department.  For more information call: 973-680-4153


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