Also See: Some FFs Will Still Visit NYC Nov. 18
Service for NYC Fallen EMTs/Paramedics Set Nov. 18
A Message from General President Schaitberger
LON SLEPICKA, HEATHER CASPI and DAVE J. IANNONE
Firehouse.com News
Citing a growing rift with the city and fire department over staffing at the World Trade Center
site, the Memorial Service for the 343 fallen firefighters
and paramedics in New York scheduled for Nov. 18 was called off Wednesday by the International Association
of Firefighters and its New York affiliates. The city and FDNY followed the announcement accusing the unions of
spreading misinformation.
IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger told Firehouse.com that the
treatment, specifically from the Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and FDNY Fire
Commissioner Thomas Von Essen, dictated that there was no chance of the rift
being solved and that the Nov. 18 service was definitely off.
"Given the concern felt by the widows of our fallen brothers and thousands
of New York fire fighters and fire officers about the city’s callous actions
over the last week, we believe it is impossible to hold a memorial service
at this time that would bring people together to embrace the families,
promote healing, and build unity," Schaitberger said.
A make up date for the service was not announced.
"We plan to hold a service at a later date with new city
leadership that will be more sensitive to the emotions of all of those whose
loved ones and colleagues are still entombed at the World Trade Center site," he said.
Specifically, the Commissioner and Mayor cut the number of firefighters
working at ground zero, recovering bodies as they were uncovered in the
cleanup effort, to 25. At times the number had been as large as 150.
Firefighters protested said it was not enough to do a thorough job and
bodies would be loaded and dumped in the landfill where all rubble from the
site is being taken.
FDNY Says It Requested Postponement
But a terse statement from the FDNY blamed the union for allowing politics to play a role
in the announcement. The Department said it asked for the postponement due to concern
for the families, not the events at Ground Zero over the past week.
"[The announcement] clearly shows that the absolute last priority
of this union (the IAFF) is the families who are involved," the statement said. "We asked
the union to postpone the event because a majority of the families let us know they
clearly thought it was too soon to have a memorial service. Instead, the unions
use it as an excuse to inflame and misinform once again. They should be ashamed of
themelves."
Giuliani said recommendations of safety experts and avoiding further injuries as rationale
behind the staffing reduction. "This dangerous operation must be carried out with discipline and
due regard for the health and safety of everyone involved -- even if some people have lost
perspective and argue for throwing caution to the wind," he said in a statement released Wednesday night.
Inside the Ground Zero Protest
AP Photo/Stuart Ramson
Firefighters rally at ground zero at the disaster site of New York's World Trade Center, Friday
Nov. 2, 2001. Firefighters protested a plan to scale back the number of fire and police personnel
searching for remains at the World Trade Center site. Some firefighters, who were among several
hundred protesters, tangled with police who initially refused to allow them into the sealed-off
area around the collapsed towers.
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"It is a shame that the unions would cancel a memorial service and spread misinformation
to the public regrading the City's efforts to recover the remains of those lost in the World
Trade Center attack," Giuliani said. "The Fire Commission will continue to assess the need for an expanded
complement of firefighters on the scene and has, for example, doubled the number to ensure that there will be a maximum
effort to recover all human remains possible."
The Uniformed Firefighters Association Local 94 (UFA) and
the Uniformed Fire Officers Association Local 854 (UFOA) played a role in the postponement
decision.
No New Date Announced
The Memorial Service had been expected to be the largest gathering of firefighters and rescue workers
in history and had been dubbed a 'historic partnership between the city, the fire department and IAFF union
leaders' to stage the memorial, Schaitberger said when the service was first announced.
Schaitberger said that they would be planning a new memorial service after
the new administration took over New York City Hall. Media mogul Michael
Bloomberg, a Republican, beat the city's elected public advocate, Democrat
Mark Green, in the race to succeed term-limited Giuliani in
Tuesday’s election. Schaitberger would not speculate when a service might be
resceduled.
Schaitberger said the fellow firefighters nationwide who had made plans to
attend the memorial would have to deal with the situation noting most
airlines would probably be willing to reschedule tickets and hotels would
honor a cancellation 48 hours prior to arrival. "Our members will stand by
the wishes and needs of the people here."
Many hotels in the immediate downtown area around Madison Square Garden have been
sold out since the announcement of the Memorial Service about two weeks ago.
On forums at Firehouse.com and in discussions elsewhere, firefighters were encouraging some of those
with reservations to keep their plans to come to New York -- to attend funeral and memorial services
for the fallen FDNY members that may be scheduled during the four-day period of Nov. 16-19.
Ron Siarnicki, Director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation said, "the NFFF
understands the concern the memorial service planners have for the families of
the New York City fallen firefighters."
"We are committed to ensure those
heroes are never forgotten and that the survivors receive the support and assistance they need," Siarnicki said.
"The Foundation stands ready to assist the memorial service planners once the new date has been established."
From the IAFF Statement:
"How can we ask our widows, our fire
fighters and their families to show respect for the mayor and the fire
commissioner," UFOA President Peter Gorman said, "when they are arresting
our union leaders and fire fighters in small groups each day to maximize
their smear campaign in the media?" Schaitberger said.
"The fire fighters of FDNY, the widows of our fallen brothers, and
thousands of civilians expect the bodies of the fallen fire fighters, police
officers, and civilians to be removed from that site in a dignified manner,
not dumped with debris in a Staten Island landfill," Schaitberger said.
"This is absolutely unacceptable and it would be hypocritical for us to
stand at a memorial service with a mayor and a fire commissioner who are
robbing the families of our fallen fire fighters and other victims of their
dignity," Schaitberger continued.
"Our members are still grieving," UFA President Kevin Gallagher said. "Our
people were traumatized once on Sept. 11 and they have been re-traumatized
in the last few days. In the memory of our fallen brothers and in honor of
their grieving families, we must postpone the Memorial service."
The decision came after meetings between IAFF President Schaitberger, IAFF
Secretary-Treasurer Vincent Bollon, UFA President Gallagher, and UFOA
President Peter Gorman. They cited widespread resentment among widows and
New York fire fighters about the city’s arbitrary decision to reduce by 75
percent the number of fire fighters working at the World Trade Center site,
preventing them from recovering the bodies of their fallen brothers and
other victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, and the overreaction by the
police commissioner to a fire fighter rally last Friday that resulted in
unwarranted arrests.
"The service we had planned in partnership with the City and the Fire
Department of New York was meant to be a healing and unifying event,"
Schaitberger said. "It was meant to recognize and celebrate the heroism,
service and sacrifice of our New York fire fighters and their families.
Sadly, we believe that the city and FDNY’s draconian actions over the last
week have proven that no partnership exists. They have made it impossible
for the healing process to begin."
Fire fighters in New York are still mourning the loss of 343 of their
brothers -- an unprecedented loss for a department and a profession that
faces danger on a daily basis.
The bodies of more than 240 firefighters,
dozens of police officers, and thousands of civilian victims have yet to be
recovered. Late last week, despite repeated pleas from both the UFA and the
UFOA, Giuliani drastically scaled back the on-site operations by fire
fighters to recover bodies at the World Trade Center site, turning it into a
"scoop-and-dump" operation. Under the new plan, the rubble is shipped
directly to the Fresh Kills landfill. To the horror of fire fighters and
families alike, at least one victim’s torso has already been hauled to the
dump on Staten Island.
With this callous action, Mayor Giuliani abandoned his solemn pledge he made
to the families in September. At that time, Giuliani said, "We will be at
the site to recover your loved ones until the last brick is removed."
Giuliani’s change of heart stunned thousands of fire fighters and hundreds
of widows. His decision broke faith with New York fire fighters by limiting
their ability to recover the bodies of their fallen brothers, a
long-standing tradition in the fire service dating back more than 200 years.
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