Barry Miller
Bergen Fire Department, Inc.
Bergen, New York
Barry Miller served the citizens of his community for all of his adult life. At 50 years of age, he had served with the Bergen Fire Department for 32 years – so long that he had been granted “life member” status.
He served in various leadership capacities over the years and also in multiple positions on the department’s Board of Directors. He also earned the distinction of being one of the department’s most active responders over the entire 32-year period.
In addition to being the Department’s Assistant Chief over EMS, he also served as his county’s coroner and had previously served on the town board. He was truly the backbone of the department and a pillar of his community.
Tragically, Assistant Chief Miller was killed in the line of duty on September 23, 2015 while he and two others responded in an ambulance to a report of a person having difficulty breathing. As they crested a hill, the ambulance struck the rear of a slow moving backhoe. The accident was attributed to low visibility due to fog and the ambulance’s driver being temporarily blinded by sunlight. Honored 2016