Lieutenant
Charles Garbarini
Engine 23

MISSING

Milltown firefighters take to
streets for victim’s family
By lynn K. Barra
Staff Writer

MILLTOWN — The family of a New York City firefighter who died during the initial rescue efforts at the World Trade Center Sept. 11 will soon be receiving a check for $5,000 from borough firefighters.

Last Saturday, local firefighters solicited in the streets and held a car wash to collect funds for Lt. Charles Garbarini’s wife, Andrea, and his two sons, Philip, 3, and Dylan, 5.

"We were looking at the different kinds of fund-raisers going on," volunteer fireman Lt. Julius Dekovics III said. "When we came up with the idea to support a family [of a victim], I contacted a former Milltown resident, and he chose his friend and comrade Lt. Charles Garbarini."

Gerard Sillcoks, or "Cookie" as he is known by borough residents, moved to New York and became a member of the city’s fire department, Dekovics explained. Dekovics said that Sillcoks worked with Garbarini, who is still listed as missing and presumed dead. A memorial service was held for him Saturday in Pleasantville, N.Y., where he lived. Garbarini was 43.

Dekovics said that he and his colleagues were not daunted by the heavy rain Saturday morning, and when the car wash couldn’t continue, firefighters found an innovative way to collect donations.

"At about 9:30 a.m., the rain was coming down hard. When the car wash went south, we were determined to get dollars for this family, so we used our boots to collect donations," Dekovics said.

Throughout the day firefighters used their boots as collection bins.

"People were extremely generous," Dekovics said. He and Sillcoks plan to visit Garbarini’s widow in Pleasantville next week to give her a check for $5,000, the total amount collected during the car wash and boot fund-raiser.

"People were pulling over [Saturday] and saying ‘God bless you,’ and ‘thank you.’ It’s been an incredible response from people," Dekovics said.

Borough firefighters will continue to raise money for the Garbarini family, who have been made honorary members of the borough’s fire department.

Donations can be made c/o the Milltown Fire Department and mailed to Borough Hall, 39 Washington Ave., Milltown, NJ 08850.