After the events of September 11, actor and comedian Denis Leary (interviewed in the February/March issue of Irish America) felt compelled to raise money for the families of deceased firefighters through the Leary Firefighters' Foundation. Leafy, who grew up in an Irish family with its fair share of police officers and firefighters, started the foundation a year and a half ago … [Read more...] about Dennis Leary: Fundraiser
FDNY
Pete Hayden: Working
Through the Crisis
Pete Hayden was one of the principal Fire Department officers in charge on September 11. Hayden was in the North Tower, and made an early decision to move the command post out of the tower, which led to many lives being saved.
Hayden spent the next couple of months working tirelessly through the crisis, leading the Fire Department's task force at the World Trade Center site. … [Read more...] about Pete Hayden: Working
Through the Crisis
Frank Cummins:
Just Doing His Job
For most firefighters, recognition is something they shy away from. Frank Cummins of Engine 255, Ladder 157, like countless other firefighters in the city of New York, dismisses his heroic deeds as "just doing my job." In the aftermath of September 11, Cummins spent weeks searching through the rubble for the remains of colleagues and civilian casualties at what the firefighters … [Read more...] about Frank Cummins:
Just Doing His Job
Sean Cummins: Firefighter
Dublin man Sean Cummins narrowly escaped death on September 11 as he had swapped shifts to take his mother to the airport for her flight back to Dublin. His firehouse at the time was Squad One in Brooklyn, which lost 12 members when the World Trade Center collapsed. He arrived at Ground Zero at about 10:40 a.m. on September 11 with a group of other off-duty firefighters from … [Read more...] about Sean Cummins: Firefighter
Francis X. Gribbon:
Vital Information
Francis Gribbon is a lieutenant in the Fire Department who has served for the last three years as deputy commissioner for public information. Gribbon, a 12-year veteran of the department, was managing the public information operations at the command post on West Street when the towers collapsed. He was given the mammoth task of providing the world press corps with information … [Read more...] about Francis X. Gribbon:
Vital Information