Beloved North Belle Vernon firefighter Cope dies

By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com
The North Belle Vernon Volunteer Fire Department and first responders around the Mon Valley are mourning the untimely death of one of their own.
Cope passed away Tuesday at his North Belle Vernon home. He was 46.
“It is with heavy hearts we inform you of the passing of First Lt./Secretary/Treasurer Neil Cope on July 16, 2019,” NBVFD posted on its Facebook page Tuesday night, along with a photo of Cope’s firefighter uniform, equipment and helmet displayed in the fire station’s front window.
“Neil joined the department in 1993 for two years and then joined again in 2016. He quickly rose through the ranks in 2017, when he became third lieutenant. In July 2018, he took over as recording secretary and treasurer and then in 2019 took over as first lieutenant.”
Hours before his death, Cope was dispatched to a mutual aid dwelling fire, according to a press release from the department. “Cope was part of the engine crew assigned to the staging area, and was in a full PPE and SCBA and mask. Cope last contacted his wife around 7:30 that evening, and she attempted to contact him a couple of times throughout the night without success,” the press release stated. Upon his wife’s return home, Cope was found unresponsive, and attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Born October 11, 1972 in Atwater, Ca., Cope was the son of Brian T. Cope of Monessen and Michele “Mickie” Baron Cope of Belle Vernon. A lifelong resident of North Belle Vernon, he was a member of St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church and worked for Belle Vernon Area School District as a bus driver. Cope attended elementary school at St. Sebastian, but graduated from BVA.
“Neil was a lifelong friend of our family,” Parzynski Funeral Home & Cremations Director Michael Parzynski said, adding that Cope’s first job was with the Leonard J. Parzynski Funeral home in the 1980s. Parzynski is also a member of the NBVFD.
Cope, according to Parzynski, was always actively involved in public safety. In addition to his roles as fire lieutenant and recording secretary, Cope served as NBV’s bingo chairman. He was also a past member of Fayette City Fire Department and Monessen Fire Department No. 1 and regularly called bingo for numerous fire departments throughout the Valley.
Former NBV fire Chief John Garber said he will miss his friend.
“I have known Neil for 20 years. I met him back in the days of Rostraver Ambulance Service and he served under me as a firefighter up until I stepped down as chief about a year ago,” Garber said. “He was an incredible guy. He was the kind of guy who you would never find sitting on his (butt). He was always up and moving and trying to make the fire department, the bingo and the ambulance service better, because he felt there is always room for improvement. That’s just who he was — the guy who was always doing something to make things better.”
Garber said Cope “didn’t accept failure as an option.”
“He worked hard to save our bingo and make sure it made money again,” Garber said. “And, he was always working with the younger guys at EMS and at the fire department trying to teach them about equipment or new techniques. If they would say something like ‘I can’t do this’ Neil would say ‘yes you can, let’s just take a different approach.’”
Garber was with Cope when they responded to a fire call the morning he died.
“We responded to a house fire at 1:30 a.m. in Rostraver Township. When we got back to the station Neil said he wasn’t feeling too well and the chief told him to go home and get some rest because there wasn’t that much to do to get equipment ready,” Garber said. “There are tests and an autopsy being done to determine what caused his death but we haven’t gotten that information back yet. Right now we are looking into whether anything from the call precipitated any type of medical condition and led to his death but we don’t know right now.
“In Pennsylvania, as a general rule, if you die within 24 hours of a fire call it is considered dying in the line of duty until proven otherwise.”
Cope started serving Rostraver West Newton as a volunteer but eventually became a paid employee. He was an emergency medical technician for 17 years. He also recently started working as an Uber driver.
“To many of us (Neil) was a true friend, colleague, and overall great person who served in many positions here at Rostraver/West Newton Emergency Services,” according to a statement on the Rostraver West Newton EMS website. “Please say a prayer for the Cope family and all emergency responders who had the privilege of working with him.”
Fire departments from Charleroi to Elizabeth and beyond have been taking to social media to express their shock and sadness.
“We are stunned and saddened by this news as many of us have worked with Neil and have been friends for many, many years,” the Belle Vernon Fire Department wrote on its Facebook page. “You will be missed brother. May God Bless the family and guide them through this difficult time.”
“Neil was a friend of Rostraver Central, a supporter of our weekly Bingo fundraiser, and provided care to our community as a longtime employee of Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services,” Rostraver Central Fire Department wrote on its Facebook page. “Our condolences are with the Cope family, NBVFD and all who knew him.”
“Rest easy brother. We got it from here,” Rostraver Township No 1 Volunteer Fire Department in Webster stated on its Facebook page.
A gofundme crowdfunding webpage created by Cope’s extended family said his relatives are grateful to the community for showing sympathy and honoring Neil Cope’s memory.
They describe him as “a good man.”
“When Neil wasn’t preparing the upcoming bingo night, he enjoyed going to the casino, spending time with his grandchildren, cheering on his beloved Penguins, battling a bar-top poker machine or snagging some scratch offs, while enjoying a nice cold coke (from a can, of course),” the gofundme page states.
Cope’s family is asking that in lieu of flowers, area residents consider making a donation to assist his wife, Kimberly Thomas Cope, and their family with funeral expenses. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/f/neil-cope.
A cause and manner of death for Cope’s death was not release prior to presstime.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Parzynski Funeral Home & Cremations, 626 Broad Ave., Belle Vernon.
A complete obituary can be found on A4.