SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Springfield City Leaders joined members of the Fire Department Tuesday to recognize the legacy of Springfield’s First African-American Firefighter.
Leonard Corbin served as a Springfield firefighter for more than three decades. He was remembered Tuesday at the monument that bears his name outside the Mason Square Fire Station. The monument is engraved with Corbin’s own quote, “I just wanted to be the best firefighter I could be.”
We spoke with his brother, Eddie Corbin, about the legacy he left behind, “He truly truly helped a lot of fire department members to come through this department, seeking them out, finding them, helping them to pass the exam, going around being a mentor for them, various things, and that’s just a wonderful thing to happen. “
During the ceremony, firefighters sounded the code 4-8, Four for returning home, and 8, the code for the engine at Mason Square, Corbin’s first station assignment.
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