Hundreds attend funeral of Montgomery fire chief

BELLE, W.Va. (WOWK) — Riverside High School held a funeral Saturday for Benny Filiaggi, a firefighter who had worked for the Montgomery Fire Department since 1993.

Hundreds of firefighters from across the Mountain State attended the funeral, with each station bringing its own fire engines to pay their respects.

Filiaggi was promoted to deputy fire chief in 2012 and then fire chief in 2020. He was known statewide for his natural ability to connect and train the next generation of first responders.

“Benny has taught firefighting courses for many years, from introductory level through advanced operational training. He even designed his own class for truck operations that he taught throughout the state,” said Deputy State Fire Chief Robert Bailey. “He has been specifically asked to teach this course numerous times, even as recently as a few months ago. He was widely respected. He taught firefighters throughout the state, and many of those individuals went on to careers in paid service or other levels of emergency services.

Bailey went on to say that Filiaggi was well known and loved throughout his tenure as a first responder by the city of Montgomery and surrounding communities.

“If you become his friend, you become his family. These are words spoken here today, and I believe they are true. He was just a wonderful person who cared about his community. Service defined his life, service to others, service to his fellow man and service to his community,” Bailey said. “He was a regular at local high school games where he ran the clock. He was a common face in this area of ​​the Kanawha Valley.

After the funeral, firefighters lined the street as Filiaggi's casket was moved into a Montgomery Fire Department engine and taken to Montgomery Memorial Park for a graveside service and burial.