Honoring New York's Bravest
By Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Last week, I had the honor of dedicating a Brooklyn street triangle
in honor of fallen Firefighter Christopher M. Bopp. The triangle,
located at the intersection of Avenue S and East 33rd Street in Marine
Park, was a place where Christopher Bopp played as a little boy.
Firefighter Bopp gave his life in the line of duty on December 18,
1998, along with Lt. Joseph P. Cavalieri and Firefighter James Bohan,
while battling a three-alarm blaze in a Brooklyn housing development
in East New York. A four-year veteran of New York's Bravest, Christopher
Bopp was also a former New York City Police Officer.
The most rewarding part of being Mayor of the City of New York is
working with so many people who have the desire, the will, and the
courage to make our city a better place. I have a profound sense of
respect and love for the men and women of the Police and Fire Departments
who have worked so hard to help make our city a safer, brighter, and
more beautiful place for all New Yorkers.
That is why the most difficult aspect of my job takes place whenever
I receive a phone call telling me about a Firefighter or Police Officer
who died in the line of duty. Since our Fire Department was established
in 1865, 777 firefighters have lost their lives while on the job.
Firefighting has become much safer over the past few years, thanks
to better training and the outfitting of firefighters with bunker
gear. But it is still extremely dangerous work, as our city so vividly
saw on Father's Day with the tragic deaths of Firefighters Harry Ford,
Brian Fahey and John Downing.
The spirit of our city is still very wounded from the loss of these
courageous men, who perished while battling a five-alarm blaze at
an Astoria, Queens, hardware store. I can't think of a more tragic
Father's Day, as eight children were suddenly left without a father.
Every firefighter's family understands the risks that their loved
ones take when they put on the uniform of the New York City Fire Department.
They hope and they pray that no harm will come to them. But that never
lessens the shock or the sorrow that overwhelms a family when one
of our city's Bravest dies in the line of duty.
These tragic deaths remind us that we should never take the remarkable
sacrifice of our firefighters for granted. The natural human instinct
is to run away from fire. Our firefighters go into the heat and the
flames and the smoke with one and only one objective - to save other
people's lives.
They don't ask the age, the gender, the religion, or the race of the
people inside. All they want to know is whether there are human beings
whose lives are at risk. That's the purest expression of love that
I can imagine.
We have an eternal debt that we owe to the families of the firefighters
that we lost on Father's Day, and the firefighters that we lost last
year and the year before. The New York Post and the Uniformed Firefighters
Association has set up a fund to help the families of the Bravest
who died on Father's Day.
Donation boxes have been set up by The Wiz, which is spearheading
the collection drive at its 42 locations throughout the city. Checks
can also be sent to: The Astoria Fire: Post Heroes Fund, c/o Uniformed
Firefighters Association, 204 East 23rd Street, 5th floor, New York,
N.Y. 10010.
I want to once again send my deepest condolences, personally and on
behalf of the entire City of New York, to the families of Firefighters
Ford, Fahey and Downing. I know that New Yorkers across the city honor
the sacrifice of all our firefighters. They have our deepest respect
and gratitude and, in the end, they have our love.
