Today we honor Chief Lawrence Greeley with the Elizabethville Fire Department whose LODD was 11/19/1988. On Saturday evening, November 19, 1988, tragedy struck at Longwood Gardens as Longwood Fire Chief Lawrence Greeley died while commanding a fire at the gardens. Chief Greeley, who was 52 years old, was with fellow firefighters overseeing a fireworks display at Longwood Gardens when a small blaze erupted in the nearby ballroom at about 8:00 p.m. Greeley complained of not feeling well and asked to go to the hospital. He was taken by Longwood firefighters to Southern Chester County Medical Center, West Grove, where he later died of a heart attack. He was a member of Longwood Fire Company for 30 years, serving as the fire chief for a decade. Greeley also served as president of the Southern Chester County Fire Chiefs Association and was also a member of the National Fire Chiefs Association. He also served on the safety committee for Kennett Township.