‘He will be truly missed’: First responders mourn the loss of beloved lieutenant to cancer

MURRELLS INLET, S.C. (WMBF/Gray News) - Fire departments in South Carolina are mourning the loss of a fellow first responder.

According to the Murrells Inlet-Garden City Professional Firefighters Association, Lieutenant Matthew Piontkowski lost his battle with line-of-duty cancer on Friday.

“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we announce the passing of our own brother,” the firefighter association shared.

The group said he was surrounded by his family in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, when he died.

“Brother Piontkowski made an impression on each individual he had contact with throughout his entire career,” the firefighter association said. “He will be truly missed, but never forgotten.”

The group also thanked a pair of firefighter associations in Ohio for their support of Piontkowski during his time back in Cleveland.

“He was a brother, mentor, friend, and co-worker to many first responders,” the firefighter association shared.

Piontkowski started his position with the Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire Department in March 2018. He also spent seven years with the Horry County Fire Rescue.

“Brother, we got it from here,” the firefighter association said.

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