Thousands Gather for the Funeral Service for EMT Yadira Arroyo
March 25, 2017
On Saturday, March 25th, 2017, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro, and thousands of FDNY members, family, and friends attended the funeral service for Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Yadira Arroyo of Station 26 at St. Nicholas Tolentine in Bronx, New York.
“Yadira represents the best of the Bronx and New York City,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Even before she made the ultimate sacrifice her life was defined by what she gave others, on duty and off. She was the mother to five with an incredibly demanding job - yet still yearned to give more.”
Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro underscored the dedication and fearlessness of Yadira as a member of the FDNY. “A veteran of the Department and a mother of 5, she had not only responded to that same type of call many times, she knew the many potential outcomes,” said Commissioner Nigro. “We are a better Department because of all she gave us, and we are a greater city because of how nobly she served.”
Yadira Arroyo was appointed to the FDNY as an EMT in August of 2003 and was assigned to EMS Station 26 in the Bronx, where she has served for 14 years. She is the 8th member of FDNY EMS to die in the line of duty, and the 1146th member of the Department to make the Supreme Sacrifice while serving our city.
“She was a great mentor, great friend, and a great colleague,” said FDNY EMT Anastasia Rabos. “No matter what types of calls we went to, she was always courteous and respectful to everyone and anyone. She would always advise, correct and give credit.”
EMT Rabos also emphasized EMT Arroyo’s emphasis on family. “If she wasn’t at work, she was with her family and children, making plans with them ahead of time, trying to figure out how to spend more time with them. We all love her at the station and will never forget her.”
“Yadi was a matriarch of the station,” said FDNY Lieutenant George Lampon of Station 26. “She was not only a mother of five but a mother to the hundreds of people that worked here. All I can say about her is that she will live on through the lives she saved and people she helped.”
EMT Arroyo, who lived in the Bronx, is survived by her five sons, Jose Montes, 23; Edgar Montes, 22; Kenneth Robles, 19; Justin Robles, 16; and Isaiah Negron, 7; her parents, mother Laida Acevedo-Rosado and father Luis Arroyo, Sr.; her siblings Joell Arroyo and Luis Arroyo, Jr.; and numerous other relatives, including her stepfather Efrain Rosado and nine aunts and uncles.
For pictures of the funeral service, click here.
To make a donation in support of EMT Yadira Arroyo’s family, click here and select 'EMT Yadira Arroyo's Children's Fund' from the drop down menu.