Aquashicola Fire Company on Tuesday dedicated a new firetruck to a former assistant fire chief, the late Gary Koons. The dedication occurred on the one-year anniversary of his death.

Koons was 62 when he died unexpectedly. He had been the assistant fire chief for 34 years and served as fire chief for two years.He was playing golf when he was stricken with an apparent heart attack.His brother, Rory Koons, former fire chief and now the president of the fire company, was emotional as he told the 75 people in attendance, "We have a great organization because we have great people and great support."Mike Snyder of Auburn, Michigan, who works for Dow Chemical and is a member of the National Fire Protection Association council, received an honorary lifetime membership in the fire company.The Palmerton area native joined the Aquashicola Fire Company in January 1980 on his 16th birthday and remained active until he graduated from college and moved from the area.He established the Warren E. Furry Memorial Fund at the fire company, which has been granting scholarships to local students for the past 20 years."One of the things we need to remember is the history we have in this community," Snyder said.Koons noted he periodically contacts Snyder for information on updated NFPA regulations.Earl Paules of Paules Metal Works was also granted an honorary lifetime membership for his contributions to the fire company.The dedication was conducted by Louise Koons, who is a sister-in-law of Gary Koons and who is the wife of Rory, and Gary's niece, Meredith Koons.Simultaneous christening it were Chris Kegel, former Palmerton Fire Chief who is now a member of the Aquashicola department, and Francis Thamarus, a longtime firefighter.They christened it with bottles of beer instead of champagne because beer was Gary Koons' favorite beverage.At the time of his death, Koons was a dispatcher for the Pennsylvania State Police.Trooper Joe Campbell said a second annual golf tournament in memory of Koons will be held Sept. 5 at Blue Shamrock Golf Course in Palmerton.The new truck, delivered about three weeks ago, is a 2014 International with a 2,000 gallon tank.It replaces a 1996 Freightliner tanker, which the fire company sold.