Md. Firefighters Honor Slain Deputy, a Fellow Volunteer

Harford County Sheriff's Office Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey and Gary Burton were friends since high school. Then they joined Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company and their friendship grew even stronger, and Senior Deputy Dailey was the best man at Burton's wedding 32 years ago.

That's just one of the ways Senior Deputy Dailey, who was fatally shot Feb. 10, was remembered Tuesday evening as members of Joppa-Magnolia paid tribute to their longtime colleague, an active member of the fire company for more than 30 years.

Others said he was "a cool guy" who passed on a "lot of knowledge."

Senior Deputy Dailey, who joined the fire company in the late 1970s, had lain in state since Monday at the New Life Center at Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, for two days of visitation by hundreds of people, including members of the region's law enforcement and fire and EMS communities, as well as civilians who wanted to pay their respects.

Senior Deputy Dailey died after he and Senior Deputy Mark Lodgsdon were fatally shot in the line of duty in Abingdon. Viewings for Senior Deputy Logsdon will be held at Mountain Christian Thursday and Friday, with a funeral service Saturday at APGFCU Arena at Harford Community College.

Andy Doyle, spokesperson for Joppa-Magnolia, said the fire company put on the memorial in conjunction with the Sheriff's Office.

"We were grateful they allowed us this opportunity to pay respects to Pat in the fire service tradition," Doyle said.

More than 1,000 people attended the special fire service memorial for Senior Deputy Dailey at the New Life Center, which included eulogies from several longtime friends and fellow fire company members, a presentation by the Sheriff's Office and Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS honor guards and a presentation of fire helmets to Senior Deputy Dailey's family.

"People want to let law enforcement know how much they are hurting for them, we're all supporting them," Harford County Del. Andrew Cassilly said before the service.

Ken Streb, a member of the Havre de Grace Ambulance Corps, said he spoke with Senior Deputy Dailey during Joppa-Magnolia's recent annual awards banquet about three weeks ago.

He called Senior Deputy Dailey "a cool guy" and said "he was full of character" when they talked.

Streb and his wife, Susan, were part of the fire and EMS honor guard.

"He had a lot of knowledge he passed on, and if you had a problem, he'd sit there and talk with you," Streb said of Senior Deputy Dailey.

The speakers at the service included Ben Lay, a member of the fire company and Sheriff's Office, fire company President Jim Lyons and Burton, a fire company member who was a Joppatowne High School classmate of Senior Deputy Dailey.

The senior deputy's two sons, Bryan and Tyler, are firefighters with Joppa-Magnolia.

"Pat Dailey will be forever in our minds and our hearts," Lyons said. "May God hold Pat and his sons in his arms."

Burton talked about a friendship that dated back to when both joined the fire company. He said he and Senior Deputy Dailey were acquaint nances in high school, and they became friends when they joined Joppa-Magnolia as teenagers.

They remained friends, and Senior Deputy Dailey was the best man at Burton's wedding 32 years ago.

"Rest in peace Pat, until we meet again, my friend," Burton said.

Assistant Chief Jason Freund transmitted Senior Deputy Dailey's last alarm call across the county fire service radio – he was "off the air, out of service" as of 7:32 p.m. after more than 37 years in the fire service.

"May he rest in peace," a dispatcher at the Harford County Emergency Operations Center said over the radio.

Senior Deputy Dailey's American flag-draped casket was scheduled to be transported back to McComas Funeral Home in Abingdon, and the casket will return to Mountain Christian before his funeral at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Sheriff's Office Maj. Jack Simpson, head of the agency's Services and Support Bureau, said before the memorial Tuesday that deputies wanted to get back to patrolling and protecting the county within hours of the deaths of Senior Deputies Dailey and Logsdon.

"They love their community," Simpson said. "They appreciate the faith and trust the community puts in them; they're out there to protect the community, and they stepped right back in to take care of that."

He said deputies took over by 4 p.m. on Feb. 10 from Maryland State Police and municipal police officers who had been handling calls as officials investigated the scene of the shooting.

"We appreciate our allied agencies, too," Simpson noted. "They stood by our side to ensure the safety of the citizens of Harford County."

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