Among the eulogies for Firefighter Steven Pollard on Friday was this one, excerpted below, by Firefighter Timothy Klein, a fellow “Canarsie Bravest” from Ladder Company 170:
“My name is Timmy Klein, and I’m a member of Canarsie’s Bravest. . .
“It is my honor and privilege to be standing up here today to talk about Steven Pollard, the firefighter and the man.
“When Steve was first assigned to Canarsie, in November, 2017, many of us had heard stories of Steve Pollard, this wild kid from Marine Park, the son and brother of two FDNY legends.
“However, we quickly found out that we gained a kind, respectful and dedicated fireman. The kind of man who would have a lasting impact, on not only his Canarsie family, but everyone he came into contact with.
“Steve was a quiet person who never uttered any ill words towards anyone. We could describe him as a gentle man who was strong as an ox. A true, gentle giant…
“Steve always came into the firehouse early, with a Starbucks iced coffee in hand, ready to work…
“Public speaking, or speaking in general, was just not his thing. But that drew us to him even more…
“These past few weeks, as he’d gotten off probation, and started to open up to us, we started to see the glimpse of the Stevie that his Marine Park crew knows.
“There’s a great story, that may, or may not include Steve, a lot of Budweisers, a Port-a-Potty tipping over, and a very upset individual that was inside of it. But I’m gonna save that one for later tonight…
“During his first tour, in which he was assigned the roof position, we pulled up to a building with fire blowing out the windows. A typical Tuesday in Canarsie.
“Steve got to his correct position on the roof, and cut a relief hole for the brothers down below, with fire pushing out at him.
“When it came to fire duty, Steve showed no fear.
“Now. On the other hand. Dressing as Santa Claus. Absolutely terrified.
“This brings me to December, 2017. As one of the single, junior guys, without kids, and being a big, muscular guy — no not myself, I’m still talking about Stevie — he was the likely candidate to dress up as Santa Claus for a firehouse Christmas party that year …
“Just hearing the possibility of this taking place made Steve sweat through the two T-shirts he was wearing.
“Guys would ask him to practice his ‘Ho-ho-ho.’ And with the shrug of his shoulders, all Steve could muster out was, ‘Ho.’
“So, for the sake of the children, Steve was not Santa Claus that year. It was a tight squeeze into the costume, but we settled for him being an elf.
“He stood at the back of the stage, out of the spotlight, where he was most comfortable…
“Our time with Steve was way too short. We need more stories about this wild, Marine Park kid we first heard about…
“I want to end this by saying, I was with Steve the night he passed.
“Steven Pollard died not thinking of himself but trying to help others. We lost a true hero that night. It breaks my heart to know that the days working alongside you are over …You will never be forgotten. Thank you. God bless.”