By Bill Lockwood
SPECIAL TO THE EAGLE TIMES
BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. — As the 40th anniversary of the Star Hotel fire approaches, members of numerous communities surrounding Bellows Falls gathered at the Bellows Falls Opera House on Thursday to watch FACT TV’s premiere of its excellent new documentary film, “Called to Duty,” before a large, enthusiastic, and receptive crowd.
A remembrance of the tragic Star Hotel fire of Dec. 29, 1981, the documentary was produced to raise awareness of the event and as a fundraiser for a new memorial park dedicated to Firefighters Terry Brown and Dana Fuller who lost their lives trying to rescue hotel residents from the fire.
For years two marble memorial benches have sat on the site of the hotel. Now, 40 years after the fire, a new Brown-Fuller Memorial Park is being constructed on the site. It will still have the two benches but will be a much more prominent site that will include sculptures and a balsam fir that will become the town Christmas tree. Still under construction, it should be ready for the anniversary and for the Tuesday, Oct. 5, Fireman’s Parade.
The documentary was produced by FACT TV personalities Mike Smith and Marty Gallagher, Executive Director Alex Stradling, and Mike’s wife, Susan Smith, who did quite a bit of the research.
Current Bellows Falls Fire Chief Shawn McGinnis said, “It was an incredible piece of work they did.”
Deputy Chief Tony James said, “I was there. I thought I knew all about that night, but I learned a lot about everyone else’s story.”
James was 14 at the time, but his father, Steve James, was then a firefighter. Steve James and Brent Lisai brought two elderly women down a ladder to safety from a smoke filled third floor. Both Steve James and Lisai are among the 13 firefighters, including then Chief John Wood, who responded that night and are interviewed by Gallagher in the film.
Mike Smith’s superb editing put the story in logical sections that set the scene of those times before carrying the viewer through the event, its aftermath, and the changes in fire codes and procedures that resulted. It ends with the sad funerals of Brown and Fuller that were attended by firefighters from all around the region.
Mike and Susan Smith moved to Brockway Mills about the time of the fire.
“For us, it was a real learning experience,” Mike said. “We had no preconceived notions about the fire.”
He said he asked Gallagher to help since she was a longtime local and “knew everybody, and her brother Paul was one of the pallbearers.”
Their research also took them through a number of unused rolls of film from the Brattleboro Reformer that had been given to the Brattleboro Historical Society.
Prominent Bellows Falls Historical Society member Larry Clark was one of the first two firefighters on the scene that night. As well as assisting with the research, he tells his story on camera.
Jeremy Youst was then the owner of Andrew’s Inn in the old Windham Hotel that was next door to the fire. He appears frequently as the story progresses, telling his perspective and how he put on pots of coffee for the firefighters and survivors of the fire. Youst also took a number of photos that appear in the film.
“This film is dedicated to firefighters everywhere and the families that support them,” said the film’s producers. “This is their story in their own words. It demonstrated the bravery and commitment ingrained in all firefighters.”
Donations for the new Brown-Fuller Park memorial were collected at the event. Anyone wishing to further donate can send to the Town of Rockingham, Attn: Memorial Park, or via the GoFundMe page at bit.ly/3umE2uZ.
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