Assistant Fire Chief Joseph Sanford remembered at Inwood Park ceremony
Jacqueline Sanford, center, widow of Inwood Assistant Fire Chief Joseph Sanford Jr., his daughter Janisha, second from left, and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, far left, attend a ceremony hiring the late firefighter at Inwood Park on Sunday. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
For nearly two decades, volunteer firefighter Joseph Sanford Jr. was a "hometown hero" dedicated to helping others, said his wife, Jacqueline Sanford.
A 17-year veteran of the Inwood Fire Department and the first Black assistant chief in its history, Joseph Sanford died Dec. 23, 2014, from injuries he sustained while battling a house fire in Woodmere. He was 43.
“He was a protector. He had a presence that was larger than life. He was superman,” Jacqueline Sanford, 57, said before a ceremony honoring him Sunday. “We miss him every day. It’s been 10 years and it feels like it was yesterday.”
Fire officials and local politicians unveiled a dedication sign at Inwood Park memorializing the waterway that bears Joseph Sanford's name. The channel was renamed in 2018 after local officials pushed for the change.
In 2018 the federal government renamed a water channel between Inwood Park and Far Rockaway in honor of Inwood Assistant Fire Chief Joseph Sanford Jr., who died in the line of duty in 2014. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Joseph Sanford, known affectionately as “Junior,” was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, and moved to New York in 1992, when he married Jacqueline. He joined the Inwood Fire Department in 1996 and rose through its ranks and became a deputy chief in 2001. He was a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and co-owned the Nassau Golden Eagles, a semipro football team, fire officials said.
Sanford had “an infectious smile and love for his family that was apparent to all who knew him,” said Josiah Green, assistant chief of the Inwood Fire Department.
A bill passed by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives sought to rename the federal waterway between Inwood Park and Far Rockaway from its former title, Negro Bar Channel, to Joseph Sanford Jr. Channel, Newsday reported in 2018. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law later that year.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said the former name of the channel was “part of a sad history of racism in this country” and that its new title serves as a remembrance of “a great firefighter” and “a great person.”
“He was a true leader, a hero, a role model,” Blakeman said.
On a sunny afternoon, the Nassau County Firefighters Pipes and Drums played as officials unveiled the sign memorializing the name of the channel and Joseph Sanford’s impact on his community.
He was survived by his three children, Douglas, Janisha and Isaiah.
Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro said Sanford’s loss can be honored “by choosing to do better.”
“Hopefully, when you walk through this park and glance at this waterway named in his memory, it will inspire you to love a little bit more,” Uttaro said.
Not guilty plea in new missing girl indictment ... Airman accused of sexual exploitation ... Finding Real ID appointments hard ... Soil sampling at Bethpage Park
Not guilty plea in new missing girl indictment ... Airman accused of sexual exploitation ... Finding Real ID appointments hard ... Soil sampling at Bethpage Park
