Submitted by his daughter

It’s difficult to describe my dad in this short amount of words‚ because he was such a wonderful and unique man. Steve Rosenfeld became a volunteer with Salem Fire and Rescue Company after hearing of such excitement from a fellow member whenever he’d talk about running calls. Steve quickly became a firefighter and an EMT. Not only did he get to experience the excitement of running calls‚ but it became so much more to him.

Although he was only a member with Salem for a few years‚ it instantly became his second home. He helped with almost every single fundraising or community function Salem had; you could always find him cooking on the grill‚ he was known for his sausage gravy! Shortly after becoming a member‚ he also became EMS Captain. He was extremely dedicated‚ and soon encouraged me‚ second daughter Jenny‚ and wife Sue of 24 years to also become volunteer members with Salem.

It didn’t matter what time of day it was‚ early morning‚ noon‚ or night‚ he ran practically every fire or rescue call he could. It also didn’t matter where he was‚ his pager was always glued to his hip‚ whether he was mowing our lawn‚ taking a shower‚ or sleeping. Our family enjoyed eating dinners together almost every night for as long as I can remember‚ it was always a time where we could all share any topic of conversation…that is until ANY tones would go off‚ then absolute total silence was expected‚ even if it wasn’t Salem’s tones!! You could be anywhere in the house and know when he was off to run a call because he would literally come running from wherever he was‚ out the door‚ and he would always take the fastest vehicle in the driveway. So if it was your car‚ you’d better hope you didn’t have any plans because he was already gone – lights flashing‚ music blaring‚ sunglasses on (day or night)‚ off to do one of the things he did best!

In March of 2003 at Salem’s annual banquet‚ he was awarded the Chief’s Award‚ EMT of the Year‚ and he was one of the Top Ten Call Runners for EMS. I never realized how proud and happy his membership and responsibilities at Salem were to him until I watched him receive all of these awards‚ he was so happy it brought tears to all of my family’s eyes.

What was Steve doing when he was not at Salem? Well he also had a full time day job as a Community Construction Manager for Washington Homes‚ which he was also very proud of. Steve could make friends with absolutely anyone; he was very friendly and loved to tell jokes. He also enjoyed hunting‚ fishing‚ our little dog Pixie‚ and hanging out with his family. Washington Homes established a ‘Steven M. Rosenfeld Memorial Scholarship’ in his honor‚ and it was first awarded to a high school senior in June of 2005.

Salem’s Rescue Engine was Steve’s ‘baby‚’ he absolutely loved driving this truck. In February of 2004‚ he drove it‚ with my mom as his passenger‚ to Virginia Beach for the Annual Chief’s Conference. Once arriving they met up with other members‚ and excitedly prepared the truck for the exhibit. Before their departure from Salem‚ Steve eagerly showed and explained in detail every inch of the truck and its many components to my mom; the only thing he forgot to show her was the air horn located on the passenger side floorboard‚ but she discovered this herself‚ twice during their weekend trip! The best part‚ however‚ was since she didn’t know about the air horn‚ she didn’t know its LOUD noise was due to her foot lying on it and therefore‚ it took several minutes before Steve’s waving and shouting over the loud horn and truck could be understood by her!!!

Steve made a lot of friends during his time at Salem‚ but one in particular really stood out. He became great friends with Salem’s Chief‚ Mike Bailey‚ they would run calls together‚ work on Mike’s barn‚ go to Gander Mountain for hunting supplies‚ and just hang out. He always called him ‘Chief’; dad really cherished their friendship. Mike and many other members have continued to make my family feel like a part of their family since my dad’s unexpected death at age 54. They’ve helped us in many ways! Salem also established a ‘Steven Rosenfeld Award’ to be presented to a dedicated member during their annual banquet. Steve was honored at the 2005 National EMS Memorial Service in Roanoke‚ VA in May. My mom Sue‚ my sisters Jenny and Sam‚ and I are extremely proud of Steve; he is and will always be a hero and excellent role model for us. He will forever be greatly missed by many!!