EMS volunteers, firefighters, community mourns loss of Ogdensburg rescue squad volunteer

OGDENSBURG — Emergency Service volunteers, firefighters and the St. Lawrence County community members are mourning the loss of Exempt Member of the Ogdensburg Volunteer Rescue Squad Grover Katzman.

Katzman was a long time member of the OVRS and Rensselaer Falls Fire Department. He was also active in historical reenactments. Fire Departments throughout the county honored for Katzman on their social media pages Wednesday.

“We would like to send our condolences to the Ogdensburg Rescue Squad and the Rensselaer Falls Rescue on the passing of Grover Katzman. Grover was a great asset to the EMS community. We also would like to send prayers to Grover's family and friends. RIP our friend,” Heuvelton Volunteer Firefighters posted following news of his death.

OVRS Chief Ken Gardner offered sympathies to his family and praise for Katzman.

“Our deepest condolences to Karen, Ben, and the rest of his family. He has touched the lives of many people, and will be deeply missed.” Gardner said in a statement issued to members of the squad and others.

“It is with a very heavy heart that I must notify everyone of the death of Grover Katzman early this morning. For those of you that didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Grover, he was a long time member and currently an exempt member. He was an EMT and CC-AEMT for numerous years with OVRS and Rensselaer Falls Fire Department. He served on the Board of Directors, helped with the purchasing and the building of this building we are in now. Grover was always a very upbeat and energetic person. The Christmas ornaments that you received every year were made by hand by Grover and his Wife Karen. I am proud to have been able to call Grover a friend of mine and he will be very much missed.”