Chief Jeff Fustine was with the Brockway fire company for 28 years.

Today, family and friends, along with the men and women who worked alongside him on all those fire calls, honored him.

Fustine died last Friday after he collapsed with a sudden illness while at work on Aug. 18. He was rushed to a Pittsburgh hospital, but never recovered.

We have more on how the brotherhood of firefighters came together today to remember him.

They began staging a few hours before the funeral started at noon, and they lined both sides of the road as family members arrived at St. Tobias Catholic Church.

When the funeral ended, Brockway’s fire chief of four years was taken on one last ride through the town he had protected as a firefighter since age 18.

“A great man cut down too short in his life, fun-loving and willing to give you a hand no matter what you needed, when you needed it,” says Horton Twp. Assistant Fire Chief Rich Guaglianone.

People stood along Main Street to watch as the hearse arrived in front of the fire hall, with members of Fustine’s company walking alongside him.

There was a final call over the scanner, and the siren sounded at the fire hall, before the procession went on to the cemetery.

“It’s definitely a tragic loss for this community, for the whole county. Jeff was a strong leader and he had a lot of support,” says Jefferson County Emergency Services Director Tracy Zents.

“We’re a family and we stick together and we’re here to just honor him today and pay respects to his family,” says Punxsutawney Central Fire Dept. Assistant Chief Pete Smith.

More than 20 fire engines, from Johnsonburg to Mahaffey to State College, came to town. The line of trucks stretched down the street, but this was no parade. They were here to honor one of their own.

Paula Dixon of Brockport read about the chief’s service, and wanted to witness this send-off.

“It’s a very beautiful thing, a nice tribute for a very nice chief, and I just wanted to be here to say good-bye,” says Dixon.

Among those watching the procession was a Toby Terrace apartments resident who has firsthand knowledge of the fire company’s importance.

“He grabbed a hold of me and pulled me right out of my door, and took me right outside,” says Helen Bish, who was helped by the firefighters.

The firefighters never knew that January blaze would be one of their chief’s last.

“My heart goes out to their family and always will,” says Bish.

Fustine is survived by several relatives including his parents, a wife, and five stepkids. The burial was held at St. Tobias Cemetery. He was 46 years old.