ELKTON, Nov. 23, 2020– On this sad day, Singerly Fire Company mourned the loss of one of their own, Ambulance Chief Claude “Zeke” Cornett. With fire service and military honors, the 92-year-old World War II-era veteran was laid to rest at Gilpin Manor Memorial Park.
Born in 1928, Zeke joined Singerly as a probationary member in 1964, the rookie quickly advancing through the ranks to lieutenant. But as a young first responder, he gravitated toward emergency medical services. This was long before specialization of disciplines became the norm, and for three years (1967 – 1969) he led the ambulance division. There the chief provided foundational leadership that started the early modernization of EMS, which was just beginning in nearby cities. This strong advocacy for incorporating new methods and advancing the discipline was instrumental in the ambulance division’s early specialization, building a footing for the progress continued once his work was done.
Chief Cornett was a hands-on leader. When the siren blared out with a single blast in Elkton fifty or sixty years ago, the Cornett Television Truck would hurriedly rush up to the firehouse, Zeke jumping into the ambulance while rushing to help someone at one of their most needy moments.
The veteran first responder taught Singerly’s next generation the ropes too as these teenagers started working their way through the ranks, riding the ambulance and the backstep of the engine. He was often at their side, passing along practical skills of the old hand, things he developed by taking advanced courses with the Baltimore City Fire Department when teaching beyond an American Red Cross Course was hard to come by.
A new, impressionable group of rookie firefighters, listened and learned as he passed along classroom techniques picked up at the Baltimore Fire Academy, things such as the new life-saving practices of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Of course, there was also the practical applied wisdom acquired from working the runs.
For many of us in the next generation seeking to become skilled practitioners, he was a strong, supportive mentor helping us learn the ropes as the tools and methods of emergency medical services came out of a more simple era of grab and run. Furthermore, he encouraged us to continue to advance our capabilities as more opportunities became available.
On the final ride to the cemetery, the funeral procession passed his old fire station. There the crossed ladders of aerial units from Singerly and Cecilton supported a large American flag flapping in the breeze of a Monday in late November. The crossed ladders, a final goodbye to a member of the fire service, are an old symbol for honoring a deceased firefighter.
On this late autumn day, many of these memories came flooding back as we recalled the dedicated community leader, businessman, and fire service innovator.
For a full photo album on remembering Claude Zeke Cornett, see this Facebook album
