THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 28, 2026 Page 5 A Friend’s Tribute: Turning a casket into a fi re engine for fallen Saugus fi refi ghter ricky Sica created a heartfelt casket wrap for Saugus Fire Lt. Damian Drella, who died of cancer last week. The casket includes a fi re apparatus design and fi reground photos. (Editor’s Note: The following article fi rst appeared last Friday (Aug. 21) on Firehouse.com, and is reprinted in this week’s Saugus Advocate with the website’s permission as a special tribute to Saugus Fire Lt. Damian Drella, who passed away last week at age 58). By Peter Matthews A s veteran Saugus fi refighter Damian Drella fought occupational cancer in the last few days, his family asked Ricky Sica, a longtime friend, to create a special casket wrap to honor Drella’s life and legacy. Sica wanted to do more than simply say goodbye, he wanted to give his friend a fi nal tribute that refl ected the passion that had connected them for decades. He was a lieutenant with Saugus Fire, where he worked for 35 years after four years as a dispatcher. Drella was a talented fi re photographer and fi re buff who is known around the world. Drella and Sica met while the two were working in the The family of Lt. Damian M. “Jug” Drella made a special request of Ricky Sica, owner of the Medford-based 428 Graphics and a longtime friend of Lt. Drella, shortly before the fi refi ghter’s death: to design and construct a wrap that would transform the fi refi ghter’s casket into a Saugus fi re engine. (Courtesy photo by Ricky Sica to The Saugus Advocate) tow industry and chasing fi res in the Boston area nearly two decades ago. Sica, who owns Medford-based 428 Graphics, said the request from Drella’s family, which came last week, was personal from the beginning. “This is actually my fi rst casket wrap,” told Firehouse.com. “I wish it wasn’t somebody that I was so close with because I don’t think it would be as emotional.” Normally, he provides designed wraps for emergency and commercial vehicles. On Friday, the funeral home delivered the casket to Sica’s shop and he got to work. He spent three hours studying the angles, shapes and spaces around the casket to determine a plan. “I thought, this is almost a good shape to make it into a fi re engine,” he recalled. The wrap features Saugus Engine 3, which was Drella’s engine, on the exterior, plus a collection of photos from Drella’s fi re chasing on the interior. “It was a lot of work to get everything right,” Sica said, noting that the casket’s grooves, curves and multiple angles made applying the graphics considerably more complicated, instead of the straightforGerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 MORE SUPP MORE SOLUTIONS. LESS WORR PP OLUTIONS. RR. Clear answers, faster decisions, and a t to get things done. We make it easy for Because here, easy means more. r o ge EverettBank.com ward surfaces he’s accustomed to working with. He’s proud of the details, including the exact layout of Engine 3 and the addition of Drella’s name on the offi cer’s door. He also incorporated other details, including a patch placed on the top of the casket and a dedication. Over the years, Drella had sent Sica photos he had taken at fi res with his cellphone. Sica TRIBUTE | SEE PAGE 7
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