Members of the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company and Helen Comperatore surround a statue of Corey Comperatore's firefighter turnout gear in the station. The statue is traveling between fire departments across Butler County. Submitted photo

We’ve written extensively about Corey Comperatore, the Buffalo Township man who was killed while protecting his family at the July 13, 2024, rally for then-candidate President Donald Trump.

In the nearly 18 months since his death, Comperatore, a longtime firefighter with the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department, has been honored in ways big and small, including with a statue that originally was located at the South Butler Community Library in Saxonburg but has since started a symbolic journey around the county.

The statue, which depicts Comperatore’s turnout gear — the protective clothing, including a helmet and jacket, that firefighters wear — is going to spend time at nearly every volunteer fire department in Butler County.

Several have already hosted the statue. Its first stop was Buffalo Township, followed by Saxonburg. It’s currently in the Lyndora station of the Butler Township Volunteer Fire Department. Other stops are planned to follow.

The idea behind the tour was simple: To honor both Comperatore and the brotherhood of firefighters he belonged to.

Helen Comperatore, Corey Comperatore’s widow, said how important the reaction to the statue has been.

“It means everything to me,” Helen Comperatore said. “I know I talk a lot about how Corey was very private and didn’t really want the attention, but it’s that brotherhood,” she said.

The statue is a fitting tribute to a true hero.

— JK