Watertown Fire Department
The Town Council voted to cover the funeral and burial costs for Firefighter Joseph Toscano, who died during a fire in March.
The Town of Watertown paid for the cost of the funeral and burial of fallen Firefighter Joseph Toscano, and the Town Council approved a policy that will do the same for future tragedies involving Watertown firefighters or police officers.
The state has an optional law that communities can adopt that allow them to pay for the funeral and burial expenses of a firefighter or police officer killed in the line of duty up to $15,000. Watertown had not adopted the law, but the Town Council unanimously approved it at its May 9 meeting.
At their previous meeting on April 25, the Council approved a transfer of $9,896 from the Town Council Reserve to the Funeral Expenses Account to cover the funeral and burial costs of Joseph Toscano, who was honored by a funeral procession through Watertown Square and services at St. Patrick’s Church.
The law allows the town to cover the funeral and burial costs for certain types of incidents. It covers firefighters killed during a fire or other incident, as well as, traveling to or from an alarm or emergency. Police are covered if killed as a result of an assault on the officer, while driving an emergency or while driving or riding in a police vehicle.