Bergen County Firefighter And Children's Author Dies

FAIR LAWN, NJ — A woman who fought fires, wrote a children's book, and sang in the church choir has passed away, the Fair Lawn Fire Department said Friday.

Berlando Drake joined the department in 2018 and was known as "B," the department posted on social media on Friday.

"Berlando served two years as Company 3’s Vice President and created the 'Little Library' which stands proudly outside of Company 3 where children and adults can swap books," they wrote.

The Fair Lawn police wrote Friday, "We met firefighter Berlando Drake on many calls. She was the definition of community and volunteerism and an inspiration for female firefighters and all!"

The Fire Department had posted earlier this month that Drake had been diagnosed with cancer.

Details of services were not available on Friday, but Patch will update this story when information is available.

Drake's book, "Gurty the Goose Leads the Flock," was published in 2022.

Read the Fire Department's post below.