“Jared Lloyd Memorial Highway” proposed by Rockland lawmakers

Several Rockland volunteer firefighters joined members of New York’s Senate and Assembly as the lawmakers unveiled proposed legislation to rename the section of Route 45 that runs in front of the Hillcrest Volunteer Fire department in honor of Jared Lloyd. Lloyd, father of two young children and a ten-year volunteer in the Spring Valley Fire District, died in the inferno that leveled the Evergreen Adult Nursing Care facility in Spring Valley on March 23, 2021. The 35-year-old volunteer fireman’s parents and family members, along with the family’s attorney, joined lawmakers on Thursday, February 10, for the announcement.

A longtime member of the Columbian Fire Company, Lloyd was trapped on the third floor of the massive structure when he called a Mayday. Oliver Hueston, a 79-year-old resident of the much-maligned facility, was a second victim. All other residents were immediately removed by Hezbollah EMS, which used buses to move residents from Evergreen to similar adult care facilities in Spring Valley and in Lakewood, New Jersey.

The bill to rename the one-mile strip of Route 45 in the Town of Ramapo was advanced by Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick, while Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski and Michael Lawler introduced the bill in the House. Reps expect the change will be approved when the Legislature ends it session in June. Reichlin-Melnick said Lloyd made the ultimate sacrifice and that the tribute was yet another way to honor his lifesaving actions—one that cost him his own. Llyod’s mother, Sabrail Lloyd Davenport, told the Rockland Times her son “loved being a volunteer. His kids are doing well but they miss their father terribly. God bless everyone who has gone out of their way to make their lives better. We’re all hanging in together.”

The family has filed a Notice of Claim against the Village of Spring Valley.