A Proud But Sad Day for One of Marco’s Bravest

Prior to delving into the regular agenda items at the October 7 City Council meeting, the board read a proclamation and congratulated Firefighter/Engineer Ray Ladurini of the Marco Island Fire Rescue Department on his 23 years and five months of service with the department.

It was a bittersweet moment however, as Ladurini would have preferred to leave under a different set of circumstances. He was injured in a two-car accident a year ago when a vehicle slammed into his car at an intersection in Naples, leaving him with serious injuries to one of his legs.

After extensive surgery and physical therapy, it became evident to his physicians that he would not be able to return to the high-stress physical environment of a first responder. It would therefore require his retirement from the job he had held since May of 2015.

Ladurini had exhausted all his personal and sick leave while recovering from his injuries. Firefighters on the job had even donated their own time to Ladurini, so he could continue to receive compensation after he exhausted his own leave time.

“I would have preferred to have worked another year or two, but that was just not in the cards. The department and the men and women within it have been just awesome in how they’ve worked with me to see if I could get the nod from the doctors. I’ll always be grateful for their support for me during this difficult time,” said Ladurini.

Ladurini had spent four years active duty with the United States Air Force and another 24 years in reserve status. He had been reactivated for service twice during his service as a reservist with the Air Force. The first time for seven months during Desert Storm, when he was stationed in Saudi Arabia and the second activation in 2010 was in support of Iraqi Freedom when he spent another six months in Iraq. Ladurini retired from the Air Force as a Senior Master Sergeant just a few years ago.

Fire Chief Michael Murphy praised Firefighter/Engineer Ladurini for his determination and professionalism during his time with the department. “Ray is a firefighter through and through and he will be greatly missed by the department and the community,” said Murphy when reflecting on his disappointment that Ladurini would be leaving.