Firefighter Christopher Bopp Triangle

FIREFIGHTER CHRISTOPHER BOPP TRIANGLE
MARINE PARK

 

This Triangle is dedicated to the memory of F.D.N.Y. Firefighter Christopher Michael Bopp (1971-1998) who devoted his life to keeping New Yorkers safe.

 

Christopher Michael Bopp was born in Queens on March 7, 1971. As a child, he and his family moved to East 31st Street in Brooklyn. Bopp attended Xaverian High School in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where he played ice hockey and was a member of their team, the Clippers, for four years. Bopp loved to play and would later play for Fire Company 170. When he wasn't on the ice, he was watching his favorite ice hockey team, the New York Rangers.

 

Bopp attended The College of Staten Island and graduated with a bachelors degree in English. In 1993, he became a police officer with the N.Y.P.D. where he served for three years in the 61st Precinct in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. He joined the FDNY in 1995 and started his career at Ladder Company 170 in Canarsie, Brooklyn, and then went on to Engine 24 in Manhattan, and finally Engine 224 in Brooklyn. After his last rotation in October 1998, he returned to Ladder Company 170.

 

On Dec. 18, 1998, Firefighter Bopp and two fellow firefighters lost their lives during a fire at the Vandalia Senior Housing complex while trying to rescue a resident who had already escaped from the burning building. The two other men who died were Firefighter James Bohan and Lieutenant Joseph Cavalieri. Firefighter Bohan is honored with the James Bohan Memorial Hockey Rink in Queens' Juniper Valley Park. A park honors the memory of Lieutenant Cavalieri in his hometown Long Island Village of Malverne, and three trees were planted in the vest pocket park in memory of the three heroic firefighters. Firefighter Bopp was posthumously awarded the Medal of Supreme Sacrifice and the Medal of Valor. Bopp is survived by his wife Cori and his daughter, Carli Michele.

 

This triangle, located in Marine Park near the intersection of Avenue S and East 32nd Street, was acquired by the city between 1917 and 1937. Marine Park had been a special place for Firefighter Bopp throughout his life. As a little boy he enjoyed the playground and the swings or just running around and playing on the open fields. In high school, he played baseball at Marine Park and as an adult, Firefighter Bopp visited the park as much as he did when he was a child. After his wedding ceremony in Our Lady Help of Christians, Bopp and his wife, Cori, came to Marine Park to take their wedding pictures on Nov. 17, 1995. He and his wife would often go for walks around the park or just sit and enjoy the scenery.

Submitted by @lampbane