Friends and family of fallen firefighter Steven Pollard gathered Sunday in Marine Park to commemorate the life of one of New York’s bravest with the unveiling of a new street sign bearing his name.
The corner of Avenue S and East 35th Street, the block where the firefighter grew up, is now co-named Steven Pollard Way.
The 30-year-old Marine Parker was tragically killed when he fell to his death while trying to save the victims of a car crash on the Belt Parkway’s Mill Basin Bridge on Jan. 6, 2019. He had been a member of the FDNY for just a year and a half when tragedy struck.
“We put this sign up for Steve’s goodness, we know he was a good firefighter who was going to be a great firefighter,” Pollard’s sister in-law, Nicole, told those gathered Oct. 22 for the street sign unveiling ceremony. “You never really get over his loss. We miss him terribly. We want to thank his firefighting family. He loved this community.”
FDNY Assistant Deputy Chief John Hodges described Pollard as an outstanding firefighter who was excited to help others: “He was taken from us far too soon, but I know he will continue to serve as an inspiration to us all.”
Hodges noted that Canarsie’s Ladder Company 170, where Pollard served, had “been through a lot” in recent years.
In 2022, Ladder Company 170/Engine Company 257 lost fellow firefighter Timothy ‘Timmy’ Klein, who died on April 24 after he became trapped under a ceiling collapse while battling a 3-alarm fire on Avenue N. Klein delivered Pollard’s eulogy at his funeral service in 2019.
Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, who introduced the legislation for the co-naming of Steven Pollard Way, said the new street sign was a “lasting tribute” to a “silent hero.”
