East Bay Assemblymembers Adjourn Floor Session in Memory of Veteran Firefighter

Information provided by the Office of Assemblymembers Nancy Skinner—

Today, East Bay Assemblymembers Nancy Skinner and Susan Bonilla adjourned floor session in memory of veteran Berkeley Firefighter Anthony “Tony” Nunes, who died on Feb. 23 in an off-duty accident.

Nunes, 54, was driving his family truck at his Martinez home near Briones Regional Park when the vehicle overturned and slid down an embankment into a canyon. He died at the scene of the accident.

[Related article: Firefighter Dies in Tractor Accident Day Before 28th Anniversary with Berkeley Fire]

Skinner (D-Berkeley) expressed her condolences and recounted the qualities that made Nunes an outstanding public servant: 

“The entire community of Berkeley and all of Berkeley Fire is suffering a great loss. Tony’s passage occurred in the year that would have celebrated his 28th year as a member of the Berkeley Fire Department. Fellow firefighters will always remember how Tony epitomized nerves of steel. They often joked that he must have lacked adrenal glands, because of how he kept calm under pressure. That, of course, is very important as a firefighter.”  

Skinner shared how Tony would often receive a good-natured ribbing for being the kind of casual firefighter who would go without his full uniform around Berkeley Fire Station No. 7 near Shasta Avenue; that is, until he could help someone out:

“My friends at Berkeley Fire asked me to share a few things. One was that Tony was someone who loved his profession. One day, he saw a young girl across the fire station selling lemonade, so he decided to put on his full uniform and joined her for a few hours and quadrupled her lemonade sales.”

Members of the Nunes family and fellow Berkeley firefighters attended the Capitol today to observe the adjournment in memory. Tony is survived by his children Antonia Polan and Thomas Nunes. 

A memorial service to celebrate the life of Tony Nunes will take place on Sunday, March 9, at 12 noon, at the Haas Pavillion at UC Berkeley.