NEW YORK — An FDNY firefighter is running each day to honor each firefighter who died while responding to 9/11.
SI Live reported that firefighter Eddie Finn, 24, began running in honor of the fallen 9/11 firefighters while he was training for the Fire Academy at La Salle University, and said the fatal day “really colored” his life.
“From that day I knew I wanted to serve and become a firefighter,” Finn said. “9/11 really colored my life and growing up I always wanted to be a firefighter.”
Now a FDNY firefighter and US Coast Guard reservist, Finn is picking up the daily running tribute and going in alphabetic order to honor each and every firefighter that died as a result of 9/11.
Finn posts Facebook videos of each firefighter with a short bio including their name and the fire station they worked for. He is currently up to the letter I.
“Everything I do is for their legacy,” he said. “The goal is to remember every fallen FDNY, NYPD and worker who lost their life on that day for the rest of my life.”
Each run kicks off with U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name.”
“It’s almost as if the song was made after 9/11,” Finn said. “Everywhere on Staten Island from Bay St. to New Dorp to Victory Blvd. has a street named after someone who lost their life on 9/11.”
Finn also serves as a mentor for the Paddy Brown Program, a nonprofit that honors fallen FDNY Captain Patrick Brown and helps veterans find employment as first responders, and is asking for donations to the organization instead of gifts on his birthday.
“I’ve chosen this nonprofit organization because the mission behind the program is to inspire and support transitioning service members into a career within the national fire service,” Finn said. “Each day, an average of 22 U.S. service members lose their lives to suicide. The modern fire service needs more military personnel within the ranks.”
“This fundraiser is a way to keep Paddy’s name around and after studying Paddy’s life, veterans should be put at the forefront, that’s my motivation,” Finn added. “Our goal is to show veterans that there’s a place for you.