Danville’s Fire Station 3 on Griffin Street was the scene for Wednesday morning’s (Sept 17th) special “walk-out” ceremony for the retiring Captain Neil Yelenick. Before it began, Captain Yelenick admitted that YES, he first wanted to be a firefighter after watching NBC’s “Emergency,” on Saturday nights back in the 70s.
ABOVE: Retiring Captain Neil Yelenick receives accolades from Chief Aaron Marcott, Retired Firefighter Tony Konieczki, and Retired Assistant Fire Chief Tom Pruitt.
AUDIO: And I said that’s what I wanted to do. I went into the military. And after I came back from Desert Storm, the fire chief of a small volunteer department said “Hey, I’ve heard you’d like to be on the fire department.” And once I got on that volunteer department, it took off. I only tested at one department. That’s here in Danville. And I started what would be the best chapter in my life.
Captain Yelenick said sitting down and eating with other firefighters while on duty brought some of his best memories.
(1st Picture) Captain Yelenick views message from his son Joey. (3rd Picture) Yelenick ends his passage through the “walk-out” line greeted by his wife Kristin.
AUDIO: And that’s when we sat together, all of us around the table; and had that time to just socialize. Talking about the day, talking about what is happening in people’s lives. And those moments I’ll remember forever.
Chief Aaron Marcott says it’s definitely a special day when a firefighter says goodbye to active duty.
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AUDIO: When they can go out happy and healthy, on their terms, it’s really nice. Neil did nearly 27 years of service here in the community. Everyday Neil was a guy who was dependable; well liked, well mentored, kind of a leader. We’re going to miss him, but we’re also happy for him.
Captain Yelenick began with the Danville Fire Department in 1998, serving 26 years and 11 months.
