PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Firefighters in Bucks County are mourning the loss of one of their own. Ed Margavich, an 80-year-old volunteer firefighter who was a steady firehouse presence for more than six decades, died after being injured on duty earlier this month.
Next month would have marked 65 years since Margavich began fighting fires.
“He gave his life, his soul, his heart to this fire department and to the fire service as a whole. He truly was a dedicated firefighter through and through,” said Joe Gasper, public information officer for the Third District Volunteer Fire Company in Bristol Township.
He said Margavich helped bring up entire generations of firefighters during his time with the company.
“A lot of our members grew up around Eddie,” he said. “There’s quite a few that he knew before they even decided they were gonna be firefighters. We would bring our children down and he would get to know our children, and now our children are firefighters as well.”
During a house fire in Croydon on Aug. 8, Margavich was directing traffic to keep the scene safe. While walking to a nearby station to get traffic cones, he fell and broke his femur.
Margavich underwent an operation but developed complications. He died a week later.
Gasper said Margavich is the first line-of-duty death in the fire company’s history.
“Whether it was 2 o’clock in the morning or 2 o’clock in the afternoon, same dedication, same devotion to what he needed to do. He was just a great guy,” he said. “As a brotherhood, you never expect this to happen. But when it does, we certainly all band together and support each other.”