Spring Valley firefighter Jared Lloyd honored with Medal of Valor at White House ceremony

Sabrail Davenport and her grandsons on Monday received the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor from President Joe Biden on behalf of her son and their father, Spring Valley firefighter Jared Lloyd.

The nation's highest civilian medal of honor, "is awarded to public safety officers who have exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect others from harm," according to the White House.

Lloyd was among 15 first responders honored at the White House, and one of two who died in the line of duty.

"They gave their lives for full service to the community and this nation," Biden said, asking Davenport and the family members of another honoree, a slain police officer, to stand for rousing applause.

Lloyd, 35, a second lieutenant, died helping to rescue 112 residents of the Evergreen Court Home for Adults during an inferno on March 22, 2021. A building section collapsed on Lloyd as he made a final search for residents of the Lafayette Avenue facility. Resident Oliver Hueston, 79, also died.

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The ceremony had not been held for the past two years due to COVID-19, and two classes of recipients were honored.

Biden said the award ceremony is bittersweet, as families and first responders relive the tragedy. He cited a tombstone in Ireland that says, "Death leaves a heartache no one can heal. Love leaves a memory no one can steal."

Lloyd's memory lives with firefighters and other first responders in Rockland. A stretch of Route 45 in Ramapo from Eckerson Road to New Hempstead Road will be named, "The Jared Lloyd Memorial Highway." Davenport in February said the honor will let people remember her son and that he stood for the community.

"Jared loved volunteering and the fire service," Davenport said.

The fatal fire led to six people arrested; two rabbis face manslaughter and negligent homicide charges. They used a blowtorch to sanitize the facility's ovens for Passover before the fire was discovered, though officials have yet to state a cause for the fire.

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The White House honor for Lloyd is a proud moment for the fire service and his family,  Rockland Fire and Emergency Services Coordinator Chris Kear said. He said Lloyd is the first honoree from Rockland, as far as he knows.

"It's a huge honor for the family," Kear said. "The family should be extremely proud. All the brother and sister firefighters in Rockland are extremely proudm too."

Kear also noted the bittersweetness, saying, "We rather have him back than receive the award."

Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com. Twitter: @lohudlegal. Read more articles and bio. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers.  

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Jared Lloyd given Medal of Valor; White House welcomes family