Contact: Sunny Mindel/Curt Ritter 212-788-2958
Mike Regan 718-999-2056 (FDNY)
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, Governor George E. Pataki, Texas Governor George W. Bush and New York City Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen today paid tribute to the 17 Firefighters of the New York City Fire Department who died this past year. During a memorial service at the Firemen's Monument on West 100th Street and Riverside Drive, special tribute was paid to Christopher M. Bopp, James E. Bohan, Lieutenant James P. Cavalieri and Captain Vincent G. Fowler, four of the Firefighters who died in the line of duty this past year.
"Once a year, we meet here, in the shadow of this magnificent monument, to pay tribute to the men and women of the New York City Fire Department who make the ultimate sacrifice for the people of our City," said Mayor Giuliani. "It is never a joyous occasion, but it is always uplifting, because in remembering these heroes, we are reminded that human beings are capable of great deeds and that the virtues of bravery and selflessness, while perhaps too rare, are nonetheless very real.
"Today offers us the opportunity to convey our deepest thanks to those who died protecting us, and also to their families, who have sacrificed so much for our City. Over the past year, New York City has lost 17 of New York's Bravest. Four of those died in the line of duty -- fighting fires, saving lives, and making possible the very existence of our great City and for this we are eternally grateful," the Mayor concluded.
Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen said, "On this solemn and sorrowful occasion we pay tribute to the active members of our Department who have died over the course of the past year. Particularly, we mourn the tragic loss of four Firefighters who gave their lives so that others might live. When these brave men joined the Fire Department they took an oath to protect and serve. In their efforts to keep us safe they made the ultimate sacrifice, and today we honor and cherish the memory of these heroes and we pray for their families and loved ones."
During the memorial service, Mayor Giuliani, Governor Pataki, Governor Bush, and Fire Commissioner Von Essen joined Chief of Department Peter A. Ganci Jr., United Firefighters Association President Kevin Gallagher and United Firefighters Officers Association President Peter Gorman to place wreaths at the monument before pausing for a moment of silence.
The four members of the Department who died in the line of duty since
October 1, 1998 were:
In Fiscal Year 1999 the Fire Department achieved across the board reductions in emergency response times, with average response time to structural fires falling to 4 minutes 15 seconds, 4 seconds faster than the previous year. The average response time to all emergencies was 4 minutes 48 seconds, 9 seconds quicker than the previous year. In addition, the number of civilian fire fatalities dropped to 107 in Calendar Year 1998, the lowest total in the 53 years for which data is available.
The merger of the Emergency Medical Service and the Fire Department has also contributed to the safety of New Yorkers. In Fiscal Year 1999 the combined response time of ambulances and trained fire units to life-threatening medical emergencies was 6 minutes 31 seconds, by far the fastest average ever recorded in New York City and more than 2 minutes below pre-merger times.
In the spring of 1908 at the funeral of Fire Chief Kruger, Bishop Potter suggested that a monument be erected in honor of the City's many fallen firemen. A committee was formed and it commissioned architect H. van Buren Magonigle and sculptor Attilio Piccirilli to design the monument. The design includes an approach of steps, a platform with balustrade, a fountain basin and the monument. The central architectural element is a marble sarcopha-gus on which is mounted a large bronze tablet depicting three galloping horses pulling a fire engine. Marble figures flank the sarcophagus, Sacrifice on the north and Duty on the south. Sacrifice is a partially draped woman supporting the limp body of her dead husband, a fireman killed in the line of duty. Duty is a mother seated next to a fire hydrant, holding a fire helmet and raincoat against her lap as she shelters the young son next to her.