For a fallen firefighter, a plaque of honor

By CHRISTINE OLLEYPhiladelphia Daily News
olleyc@phillynews.com 215-854-5184
The helmet worn by Craig Vernon's firefighter grandfather has always been a fixture in his father's home.
"We're proud of where we come from," Vernon said.
"My father lost his dad when he was only 12, so his memories of his father were all those of a young child," Vernon said.
"How many 10-year-olds can boast that they spent a Saturday at dad's firehouse and after shining brass were allowed three slides down the brass pole from the dormitory upstairs?" Vernon said of his father's memories of his dad.
Vernon's grandfather, John Vernon, who died while fighting a fire in Pennypack Park, at Woodward Street and Winchester Avenue, in Northeast Philadelphia, was honored with a plaque-dedication ceremony Wednesday.
"He always looked at my grandfather with great admiration and great respect," Craig Vernon said.
Craig's father, also named John, was unable to attend the ceremony.
John Vernon Sr. was called to the scene of a brush fire at an old farm in Pennypack Park on Jan. 3, 1942.
While fighting the fire, he collapsed, and died en route to Nazareth Hospital.
He was survived by his wife, Mary, and their three children.
"Raising three children by herself was a daunting task," Craig Vernon said of his grandmother.
"I could feel the tears in my own eyes even though he was gone long before I came around," Craig Vernon said of the ceremony. "We were deeply touched and we felt deeply blessed to be a part of this."
The hero-plaque program is a joint effort between the Local 22 Philadelphia Fire Fighters Union and attorney James Binns.
Anyone interested in sponsoring a hero plaque should call Binns at 215-275-3000. *