INSPIRED LIFE

These high school seniors raced away from graduation to fight a fire

The six students are volunteer members of the Port Jefferson Fire Department in New York

By Sydney Page
July 3, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EDT



Senior students at Port Jefferson High School, who left their graduation early to put out a fire. From left, Shane Hartig, Ryan Parmegiani, Peter Rizzo, Hunter Volpi, Andrew Patterson and Kasumi Layne-Stasik. (Port Jefferson Fire Department)

It was mere minutes after Andrew Patterson’s high school graduation ceremony had concluded. But rather than posing for pictures in his cap and gown, Patterson, 18, and five of his classmates suddenly found themselves sprinting to the local fire station.

As active volunteer members of the Port Jefferson Fire Department — which serves the tiny town of Port Jefferson on the North Shore of New York’s Long Island — the six students received an urgent notification about a fire nearby. They were dressed in graduation apparel, ready to celebrate the milestone with family and friends. Instead, they raced to the call.

“I unzipped my gown as I was running,” recalled Patterson, who held his diploma in one hand and his cap in the other as he bolted to the fire station a few blocks away on June 24, just after 7:30 p.m.

His Port Jefferson High School classmate and fellow firefighter Kasumi Layne-Stasik was running, too — clutching a congratulatory bouquet of blue flowers. She removed her earrings and necklace while she ran. ... “I didn’t think twice about it,” said Layne-Stasik, 18.

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The students are all considered active firefighters in the Port Jefferson Fire Department. From left, Hunter Volpi, Shane Hartig, Ryan Parmegiani, Kasumi Layne-Stasik, Andrew Patterson and Peter Rizzo. (Port Jefferson Fire Department)

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“The transition from us throwing all our caps up and then immediately running to help, that was the most memorable moment for me,” Layne-Stasik said. ... Patterson agreed. ... “It was a very good day,” he said.

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By Sydney Page
Sydney Page is a reporter who writes for The Washington Post’s Inspired Life section, a collection of stories about humanity. She has been a contributor to The Post since 2018. Twitter https://twitter.com/sydneypage95