MyFDNY NEWS
THE FDNY HONORS 14 FALLEN MEMBERS, INCLUDING TWO LINE OF DUTY DEATHS, AT 117TH MEMORIAL DAY SERVICE
Thousands of uniformed members and families lined the streets along Riverside Drive in Manhattan on Oct. 9 as the FDNY held its 117th Memorial Day Service at Firemen’s Memorial to honor 14 members who have died over the past year, including two who died in the line of duty.
EMT Frederick Whiteside and Supervising Fire Marshal George E. Snyder Jr. both made the Supreme Sacrifice.
“Memorial Day is a sad day, but it’s a necessary day for our Department,”
OCTOBER 2024
FIRE COMMISSIONER Robert S. Tucker
FIRST DEPUTY COMMISSIONER Mark Guerra
CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT John Esposito
Meet
EMT TARA TODD, PSAC 1, BUREAU OF COMMUNICATIONS
FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said. “We’re saddened by the weight of these losses. The members we honor today were all selfless, amazing people who gave their lives in dedication of service to our city. Their sworn oath to serve and protect guided their every day, and we know they lived as they worked—with honor and dignity. Let us pay tribute to them. Let us honor them.” FDNY AND PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERS CONDUCT SIMULATED RESPONSE TO A MAJOR STORM EVENT
In an effort to remain prepared for a major storm event, members from the FDNY, NYPD and New York City Emergency Management conducted a multi-agency simulated response on Oct. 1 on Staten Island. The exercise was the first of its kind to test simulta-
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THE FDNY HONORS 14 FALLEN MEMBERS, INCLUDING TWO LINE OF DUTY DEATHS,
MEMORIAL DAY SERVICE
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THE MEMBERS WHO WERE HONORED AT THE 117TH FDNY MEMORIAL DAY SERVICE
• Firefighter Daniel Powers, Engine 250
• EMT Frederick Whiteside, PSAC II*
• Rev. Monsignor John E. Delendick, Ladder 170
• EMT Sebastian Vazquez, Station 26
• Firefighter Wilkins Vega, Engine 221
• EMT David Davis, Station 50
• Firefighter Kamran Khan, Engine 219
• Firefighter Jason Baldwin, Ladder 46
• EMT Marc Jansen Bolanos, Station 26
• Firefighter Deo Lall Jr., Engine 153
• Firefighter Anthony Caliendo, Ladder 158
• Firefighter Hugo Reyes Parada, Engine 24
• Lieutenant Ryan Charkowick, DOT - Ropes
• Supervising Fire Marshal George E. Snyder Jr., BFI SOC*
*Died in the line of duty
“To the families here today: We know that no word can ease your pain or fill the void left by your loved ones, but please know that their memory is cherished, and their service will never be forgotten,” Chief of Department John Esposito said. “This Department is with you—not only today, but always, honoring their legacy with the same sense of duty and sacrifice that defined their lives.”
The Firemen’s Memorial has stood on Riverside Drive in Manhattan since 1913 as a tribute to the first responders in New York City.
See more pictures and watch the livestream of the event by scanning the QR code on Page 1. n
FDNY AND PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERS CONDUCT SIMULATED RESPONSE TO A MAJOR STORM EVENT
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neous drone capabilities of the Department and its public safety partners.
“This simulation was a six-month undertaking and included collaboration from our other public safety agencies,” FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said. “With the devastating impacts from recent hurricanes over the last few weeks, as well as the uptick in frequency in these catastrophic storms, it’s crucial we stay prepared and ready for anything that comes our way. FDNY members stand at the ready to handle whatever comes their way, and inter-agency drills are a great example of how we work together to best serve the public. We thank our partners for their leadership, and we look forward to what we can learn from this drill and implement new skills in the future.”
The drill included search-and-rescue components, as well as a victim identification and recovery in the water, using multiple drones simultaneously across several missions. n
The FDNY, in coordination with the New York City Department of Buildings, shut down a haunted house in Queens officials said posed a serious fire danger to both the public and first responders.
An officer at Engine 304 reported the concerns after noticing a home at 21117 Hollis Ave. that looked like a haunted house. The Bureau of Fire Prevention’s Special Investigations Unit and the NYC Department of Buildings conducted a walkthrough of the building and identified numerous violations, citing it for being illegally converted.
“The interior was altered and had a very heavy fire load. Thank goodness we were alerted to it,” Chief of Fire Prevention Thomas Currao said. “It is a highly combustible structure. It’s not meant for that type of occupancy. I look at it from two perspectives—the public that we serve, as well as our responding firefighters. When they’re pulling up to a house like that, they’re not expecting that, and that would be very challenging and very dangerous.”
“It’s a great example of the FDNY proactively keeping people safe,” FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said. “We want everyone to enjoy Halloween— it's a great holiday—but we want them to do it safely. That is a death trap that we came upon, and the members notified our Bureau of Fire Prevention, and action was taken swiftly to shut it down.”
With Halloween right around the corner, we remind you to celebrate safely. Go to FDNYSmart.org for safety tips. n
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FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker, Acting Chief of Department John Esposito and former Mets first baseman David Wright at the Battle of the Badges charity baseball game at Citi Field.
(1) The FDNY marked an historic milestone for Ladder Company 17 on Sept. 26, celebrating 150 years of service to the Mott Haven neighborhood in the Bronx. Members, alumni, family and friends gathered for the celebration. Established in 1874 and originally pulled by two horses, Ladder 17 went into service on Jan. 1, 1874. It is the oldest FDNY truck company in the Bronx. Known as the “Green Beret,” Ladder 17 had one officer, 12 firefighters and two horses when it went into service. (2) FDNY members, as well as thousands of New Yorkers and visitors, participated in the annual Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk on Sept. 29. The run symbolizes FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller’s final footsteps from the foot of the Battery Tunnel to the World Trade Center and pays homage to the 2,977 people who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. (3) The FDNY Running Club competed in the 2024 Empire State Building Run-Up on Oct. 9, climbing up 86 flights and 1,576 stairs. A job well done to all who participated! (4) The FDNY proudly participated in the 99th Fire Prevention Week, a weeklong event that happens every October to promote fire and life safety education. In addition to daily safety tips, the FDNY and the FDNY Foundation held an event at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, where hundreds of students from across New York City took part in safety demonstrations and were sworn in as junior firefighters and EMTs. (5) The FDNY honored the dispatchers who played critical roles in the response to three separate incidents during a recognition ceremony on Oct. 2 inside the Commissioner Robert O. Lowery Auditorium. The incidents included the deadly Twin Parks high-rise fire in the Bronx in January 2022, an active shooter in the subway in Brooklyn in April 2022 and five children who were stuck in a sewer tunnel on Staten Island in March 2023. On all three calls, dozens of dispatchers handled complicated and fluid situations with composure. (6) Twenty-five members of the FDNY’s Bureau of
1. What is your name, title and years at FDNY? Where are you currently assigned, and what are your work-related responsibilities?
My name is Tara Todd. I’m an EMT, and I’ve been with the Department for 14 years. My work spans citywide to handle most mass casualty incidents (MCIs), which include fires, structural collapses, train derailments—anything that could be catastrophic. We interact with MTA, Port Authority, Penn Station, LaGuardia, JFK, Amtrak and different agencies. This spans a range of calls that are coming our way.
2. What called you to a life of public service at FDNY? I always loved medicine throughout my young adulthood; I’d thought about branching into different aspects. I was thinking of being a nurse, I thought of being a PA—but then when I became an EMT, when I first started riding on the ambulance and going on different calls, I fell in love with it. The best way I could describe it, it’s almost like going to see a Broadway show: Either you love it, or you hate it. I love it.
3. Can you share one of your most memorable moments while working at FDNY?
My first Thanksgiving, I was on the street. I was still an intern, had a cardiac arrest, and we brought the gentleman to the hospital. I remember riding with his wife because my partner was in the truck with the medics, doing CPR. I was driving the patient’s wife to the hospital. We were talking, and she was very distraught.
I can’t remember the exact month, but sometime the following year, in the spring, my partner and I—along with everybody else who responded to the call—were able to meet the gentleman we brought back. We met him and his family. It was really nice and very memorable.
4. What does We Are FDNY mean to you?
I think of first responders, whether it be Fire or EMS. I think of everybody working together as lieutenants, medics, captains, chiefs and everybody. Because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what position you are in—EMS or Fire, even if it’s administrative—everybody works together. We all hold a vital component to, as one would say, the whole nutshell.
5. What is your superpower (best quality or skill)?
I can stay calm during a very stressful situation, whether it be at work or in my personal life. I keep my sense of humor. I’ve noticed over the years a lot of people, whether they’re just starting out or they’ve been here for 20-plus years, it takes a toll. There is stress, and sometimes people get burned out. I like to think that at the end of the day, when push comes to shove, I can keep my sense of calm. And I hope that resonates amongst my coworkers as we’re all dealing with stressful situations and brightens the environment.
6. How does your role support the public safety mission of the FDNY?
We take emergency calls and tell units where to go, whether I’m dispatching or I sit in a citywide call. We all have to work together as a team and guide units where to go. I try to give them as much information as I can about a call. But the units out there—whether it’s EMTs, firefighters, bosses, chiefs—I think that they’re one of the most pivotal members of FDNY, because without people on ambulances and on the street, there wouldn’t be anything for me to do up here. n
DEPARTMENT MOURNS THE LOSS OF FORMER DEPUTY COMMISSIONER JOHN BENANTI
The FDNY mourned the loss of former Deputy Commissioner John Benanti, who died on Sept. 30 after a courageous battle with cancer linked to the effects of September 11th. Commissioner Benanti joined the Department in 2008, where he served as Deputy Commissioner of Support Services until retiring in 2022. During his tenure with the FDNY, he made significant contributions to the Department, including enhancing Fleet and Facilities Operations, expanding the agency’s bunker gear programs and overseeing the construction of Rescue 2 and Rescue 3. Before joining the FDNY, Commissioner Benanti served as a Deputy Commissioner at the Administration for Children’s Services for more than two decades. He was a dedicated public servant, and the FDNY extends its deepest condolences to the Benanti family. n
podcast highlights
The FDNY’s latest class of probationary emergency medical technicians graduated on Sept. 24 at the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn. The probationary EMTs trained for 18 weeks at the FDNY EMS Academy. To see more photos and a livestream of the event, scan the QR code above. n
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Command and control decisions on 9/11 and in its aftermath with FDNY Assistant Chief Thomas Galvin (retired)
“I discovered a strength that I never knew I had.”
Throwback FDNY to 1898, when John Jay Scannell becomes the Commissioner of the Fire Department of the Greater City of New York; to 1922, when fire sweeps through the shore-side Arverne neighborhood in Queens; and to 1937, when the Memorial Wall in Headquarters is unveiled.