By Ann Marie Barron
Staten Island Advance
NEW YORK — A solemn memorial tribute will be held on Staten Island Saturday to honor 176 FDNY members lost to post-9/11 illnesses, adding their names to a plaque that will become part of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
The Oct. 18 ceremony, which will take place at the College of Staten Island, Willowbrook, is expected to draw more than 2,000 attendees. It will be hosted by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, along with the FDNY.
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The event will be attended by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Robert Tucker, New York City Fire Commissioner, and John M. Esposito, the FDNY Chief of Department.
Also making remarks will be Kristi Noem, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Donna Black, acting U.S. Fire Administrator.
A ‘home game’
Instead of holding the ceremony in Emmitsburg during the Annual National Memorial Service in May, the foundation elected to honor New York City by memorializing its own on city soil. A plaque bearing the heroes’ names will be added to the Maryland memorial’s Wall of Honor next week, said Victor Stagnaro, CEO of the NFFF.
“Bringing this to New York ... and having everyone from NFFF in New York is a great thing,’' said Esposito. ”It’s an honor that they’re here to honor our great people and their families.”
Getting so many FDNY representatives and family members down to Emmitsburg would have been impossible, the chief said. “Making it a ‘home game’ to us is great, very appreciated.”
The foundation was created by Congress in 1982 with a mission to honor firefighters, support their families and work with the nation’s fire departments to prevent fire-related deaths. The Memorial Park in Maryland was built in 1981, and an eternal flame burns in recognition of the sacrifices made by firefighters.
The names of fallen firefighters from around the United States are added annually in May.
One of a kind
Saturday’s event is one-of-a-kind, said Stagnaro, and it could not have been put together without the coordination of the FDNY and Thomas Richardson, retired FDNY chief of department.
The 176 names had previously been added to the FDNY memorial at the World Trade Center, but had not yet been added to the national memorial, Stagnaro said.
When the FDNY began to say the number of deaths due to 9/11-related illnesses exceeded the 343 members lost in the World Trade Center collapse, representatives from the NFFF recognized a gap and took a trip to New York, he explained.
“We compared lists,’' he said. ”They had honored more than we had, and we wanted to rectify that. We recognized that these 176 had not been honored at the national memorial, and we needed to fix that.”
The ceremony will be unique, he said.
”These deaths are every much a 9/11 death as those who made a sacrifice on 9/11,’' Stagnaro said. “I do think that a lot of people are not aware that firefighters are dying from these cancers. I think 9/11 and post-9/11 diseases are giving us a better view of the things that are taking the lives of firefighters.
Those lost to 9/11-related illnesses will continue being added to the memorial every May, he said.
Esposito said the total number of FDNY members lost to post-9/11 illnesses after working at Ground Zero in the months following the attack continues to grow. Add to that members who were retired that day but stepped up to aid in the rescue efforts, he noted. “That number is over 200,’' he said. ”And we lost police officers and other members throughout the city ....”
The 3 p.m. event will be attended by families of victims and FDNY members representing the companies of each. Those members will present each family with an American flag that has been flown over the U.S. Capitol and at the NFFF Memorial, Stagnaro said.
Esposito said it’s important to remember and honor the lives of people who did so much in the days and weeks and months after 9/11, “and, in many cases, were not able to live out their full lives and paid the price.”
Tragedy does not end
“The tragedy of 9/11 has not, and does not, end,’' he said. ”It continues, and as sad as it was that day, we get the reminder of it every day.”
The FDNY Ceremonial Unit and Honor Guard will participate in Saturday’s event, as will the department’s Pipes and Drums. There will be a Candlelight and Shine Your Light tribute, and the New York City skyline will be lit in red in remembrance, Stagnaro said.
One particular aspect of the memorial service seemed to tug on Stagnaro’s heartstrings.
Luminary bags were decorated by Staten Island eighth-grade students from Egbert Intermediate School (I.S. 2), Midland Beach, under the guidance of art teacher Suzanne Berkovitz.
“I’m humbled and moved by it,’' he said. ”I thought it was a tremendously beautiful tribute from these kids. I thought it was a wonderful way to recognize the sacrifice of these fallen heroes.”
Esposito said the FDNY will not forget those who continue to fall to post-9/11 illnesses.
“We’re trying to help people who conducted the search and rescue in the days and weeks after, when they were not fully aware of the exposure they were getting,’' he said. ”If we don’t honor and care for the people who are sick from post-9/11 illnesses, what happens the next time?”
And if tragedy happens again?
“I have no doubt that our people will respond and operate and save lives‚’’ he said.
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