Liberty firefighters will have ceremony for fallen firefighter today at noon

Staff report

LIBERTY

The Liberty Fire Department will have a ceremony at noon today at the Logan Way fire station to honor a firefighter who died in the line of duty 15 years ago.

The firefighters will pay tribute to Ed Conricote, who had been a volunteer firefighter for 15 years.

To commemorate the anniversary, the fallen firefighter memorial at the station was updated. Landscaping was done last summer by the Hubbard company Three Flags.

The memorial features two statues, has a sitting wall and incorporates the flagpole.

Fire Capt. Cathy Macchione said the community provided donations to update the memorial. She said fire Chief Gus Birch thought of the idea, and Macchione and a couple other firefighters helped.

In addition to volunteering for the fire department, Conricote also worked full time for the township road department and had been a chaplain for a few fire departments, including Liberty and Youngstown. Conricote had previously worked as a priest and in pharmaceutical sales.

Macchione recalled that Conricote was at the fire station every night and became close with the firefighters, and made kind gestures such as bringing ice cream.

Light refreshments will be provided after the ceremony.