Officer of the week – Police Officer John D’Allara

Remember September 11, 2001
Angels Among Us

Police Officer John D’Allara
Shield 4011
ESS-2
September 15,2001

Police Officer John D’Allara
Shield 4011
ESS-2
(recovered)

John D’Allara, a member of the New York Police Department’s emergency service office in Harlem, was a rescue specialist on the scene at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. During his 14 years on the job, he pried, cajoled or otherwise extracted a broad array of life forms from danger, dealing with a menagerie of exotic animals. Spider monkeys. Bats. Squirrels. One time, he saved an iguana. But he helped plenty of people, too.

“One time, we had a kid trapped in an elevator, with his head trapped between a beam and the elevator,” said Sgt. Lee Hom, who worked with Officer D’Allara for five years in the late 1980’s and early 90’s. “He kept the kid calm, and we got him out.”

A physical education teacher before he joined the Police Department, Officer D’Allara, 47, who lived with his wife and two sons, Johnny, 7, and Nicholas, 3, in Rockland County, intended to go back to teaching. “He loved the Police Department,” said his brother, Dan. “But he was counting his paychecks to retirement.” – The New York Times 1/29/2002

Source: NYP Angels

Firefighter of the Week – Assistant Chief Donald J Burns

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
August 31, 2009

Donald James Burns

Farewell to ‘Exceptional’ Firefighter
Memorial honors assistant chief, a 39-year veteran

October 10, 2001

Fighting fires was not just a job to Assistant Chief Donald J. Burns but his passion, one that rubbed off on many of his colleagues within the New York Fire Department.

Burns, who remains missing since the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, was memorialized during a Mass yesterday in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where he was hailed as an “exceptional” leader within the department.

A 39-year veteran of the department, Burns, 61, rose from firefighter to citywide borough commander, a job that required him to be at all major incidents in the city during his 24- hour shifts.

During his career, Burns’ ability to learn from his mistakes and use them to improve firefighting skills was apparent to most of his colleagues, who respected him as a brilliant tactician and strategist.

“Anything you ever wanted to know about the Fire Department, he would have the answer,” said Deputy Asst. Chief Albert Turi after yesterday’s Mass. “If you could be half as good a chief as he was you’d still be a good chief.”

In talking about Burns at the service, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen used words like “hero” and “patriot” to describe Burns.

“His experience was unparalleled,” Von Essen said.

In front of the cathedral, a large American flag was hung from a fire truck over the heads of several hundred uniformed firefighters lined up along Fifth Avenue.

Burns’ family led the procession into and out of the cathedral, to the sound of solemn music played by the Fire Department’s bagpipe band.

Burns, who lived in Nissequogue, is survived by his wife, Betty, and three children, Laurie, 37, Michael, 35, and Patrick, 29.

He began his career in 1962 in Brooklyn and rose through the ranks in various positions until 1997, when he became a citywide tour commander.

“When you were with him, you feel there’s no fire you couldn’t conquer,” said 51st Battalion Chief Howard Carlson, based in Richmond Hill. “He was exceptional.” –Bryan Virasami (Newsday)

— Jay Dooling  12 Nov 2001

Source: Irish Tribute

Officer of the Week – Detective Claude D. Richards

Remember September 11, 2001
Angels Among Us
Detective Claude D. Richards
Shield 244
Bomb Squad
August 31, 2009

Editor’s Note: We at the Chronicle, will never forget those police officers, who have given their lives in 9/11. Each week we will honor one with their stories.

This week we feature:

Detective Claude D. Richards
Shield 244
Bomb Squad
(recovered)

If ever a man was to the bomb squad born, it was Detective Claude Richards of the New York Police Department. Fearless, meticulous and disciplined nearly to a fault, Detective Richards, 46, the bomb squad’s intelligence coordinator, spent his off-duty hours working, working out and planning his next workday. When he took some time off, it was to defuse land mines in Bosnia with a United Nations peacekeeping force.

All the way from boyhood, Dan, as Detective Richards was known, “always wanted to charge up to the front,” said his brother, Jim, “just to prove himself.” He was in the Rangers in the Army, and on the bomb squad his command presence allowed him to give orders to colleagues who far outranked him as he oversaw security logistics for events ranging from presidential visits to the United States Tennis Open.

Detective Richards, who lived in Chelsea, was a complicated man. True, he could yell at a co-worker who borrowed his stapler and put it back in the wrong place, but he also didn’t think twice before taking his shoes off on the street and giving them to a vagabond, Jim Richards said.

Detective Richards’s work ethic left him little time or space for relationships, his brother said, but added, “He was so devoted to his work I don’t think he had a problem with it.”

– The New York Times 12/15/2001

Source: NYP Angels

Officer of the Week – Sergeant Timothy A. Roy

Remember September 11, 2001
Angels Among Us
Sergeant Timothy A. Roy
Shield 2926
Traffic Control Division Bus Unit
August 26, 2009

 

Editor’s Note: We at the Chronicle, will never forget those police officers, who have given their lives in 9/11. Each week we will honor one with their stories.

This week we feature:

Sergeant Timothy A. Roy
Shield 2926
Traffic Control Division Bus Unit

Timothy Roy was on his way to traffic court when he got the news of the World Trade Center disaster and ran to help. He was last seen in Building 5 helping a burn victim. “That was him. The first one on any scene. Right in there,” said his wife, Stacey.

Roy, 36, is a sergeant for the bus squad of the New York City Police Department. The lifelong Massapequa Park resident is a graduate of Berner High School in Massapequa. He and his wife have three children-Caitlyn, 10, Brittney, 7, and Timmy Jr., 3. Roy, a 16-year veteran of the police department, has eight siblings, including three brothers in the fire department and another brother who is a police officer. Among Roy’s awards is a unit citation for his work during the Crown Heights riot in 1991.

– New York Newsday Victim Database 2001

Source: NYP Angels

Firefighter of the Week – Assistant Chief Gerard A. Barbara

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
August 25, 2009

A Dad and Yankees Lover

Since Sept. 11, scores of well wishers have packed the small Staten Island home of Gerard Barbara, assistant chief of the New York Fire Department. Mr. Barbara’s wife and two children recognize many of the faces, but not all of them. In an odd twist, they end up consoling some of the visitors, who appear lost. Many just want to hang on to any memory of the chief, who was widely respected and loved for his humanitarian spirit, said his wife, Joanne.

“People I’ve never seen before are saying, ‘You don’t understand, I loved your dad,’ ” said a son, Paul, 23. “I say, I do understand, he was my dad!’ ”

Mr. Barbara, 53, a 31-year veteran of the Fire Department, was one of the city’s highest-ranking supervisors. He was walking toward the lobby of the second trade center tower when the building collapsed.

Paul said that when he and his sister, Caren, were growing up, they had no idea that their father was an important member of the Fire Department, because he was just a dad who was wild about the Yankees.

Caren said: “If the terrorists think they have won, they haven’t. This whole thing just drove my dad deeper into our hearts. He died doing one of the things he liked best, trying to save people.”

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on October 4, 2001.

Source: Legacy

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Officer of the Week – Sergeant Rodney C. Gillis

Remember September 11, 2001
Angels Among Us
Sergeant Rodney C. Gillis
Shield 1889
ESU-8
August 19, 2009

 

Editor’s Note: We at the Chronicle, will never forget those police officers, who have given their lives in 9/11. Each week we will honor one with their stories.

This week we feature:

Sergeant Rodney C. Gillis
Shield 1889
ESU-8

New York City Police Officer Rodney Gillis had just finished his shift, which ended at 8 a.m., and was hanging around talking to his fellow officers with the Emergency Services Unit when the first plane smashed into the World Trade Center. As usual, he was the first one on the scene.

Gillis, 34, and other Emergency Services officers, who included his former high school teacher, Police Officer John Dallara from ESU Truck 3, were believed to be in the belly of the South Tower when it collapsed, Green said. ” We know his team penetrated deep into the building.”

Both Gillis and Dallara are among the 23 missing city police officers.

Gillis joined the department in 1988. Promoted to sergeant in 1997, he was loved and respected by his men in Emergency Services Truck 8, said Gillis’ former supervisor retired Lt. Richard Green, because he was brave and strong. ” And just a terrific guy.”

Green noted that Gillis, a Brownsville resident, was ” a Brooklyn boy through and through.” His mother, Geraldine, also lives in Brooklyn and his father, Otha, lives in North Carolina. He attended Park West High School in Brooklyn as a talented student and received a certificate from St. John’s University in Queens and a degree from the Island Drafting and Technical Institute in Amityville.

To those who know him, Gillis is thought of as something of a Renaissance man. On the job, he was trained as a scuba diver, has his EMT certification, is trained in emergency psychology and is also a technician who deals with hazardous materials. Off the job, he was remodeling both his and his parents’ home. He loves to play saxophone and is devoted to his three children..

But his dedication to the job, the one that made him run out the door with the rest of the crew after his shift was done, is what defined Gillis, Green said. ” He’s a true warrior.”

– New York Newsday Victim Database 9/26/2001

Source: NYP Angels

Firefighter of the Week – Peter J. Ganci, Jr. Chief of Dep.

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
August 19, 2009

“Of all my parents’ friends, the only one happy going to work was a member of 120 Truck. I was only 16 then, but that is when I decided I wanted to be a fireman,” said Peter J. Ganci, Jr., Chief of Department.

Obviously, a wise decision–one that was prodigious for Chief Ganci, as well as the FDNY. As Chief of Department, Chief Ganci was responsible for both Fire and EMS Operations, Training and Fire Prevention and also was required to represent uniformed members of the Department at ceremonial functions.

It is no secret that firefighters enjoy their time in the firehouse. It’s where the action is, where they want to be. Headquarters is the antithesis of this and many balk when assigned there. Chief Ganci took a different tack when called upon. Although he, too, loved the action of the field, he viewed his assignment at Headquarters as “giving back to the FDNY.” In Chief Ganci’s opinion, “Staff Chiefs have the opportunity to make things better for the firefighters coming after us.”

At Headquarters, “we have the opportunity to make an impact. I’m very proud of the Incident Safety Officers Program (formulated in conjunction with former UFOA President Deputy Chief Artie Parrinello). I could not have accomplished this in the field; here, it’s a different story.”

Accustomed to action, working at Headquarters was a difficult adjustment for the Chief. “It seems that I spend an excessive amount of time trying to resolve one conflict or another. Most of the issues I face daily are problems of some sort. It doesn’t leave much time to acknowledge the good our guys do every day,” said Chief Ganci. “One of the most difficult aspects of my job is striking a balance between an obligation to the public and our members. I continually strive to do the right thing by both.”

How will Chief Ganci be remembered? He hopes as “a good fireman…a good Chief.” The name Ganci will continue to be familiar for many years to come, however, as Peter, III, now is a firefighter, assigned to Ladder 111.

Source: New York City Fire Department

Officer of the Week – Sergeant Michael S. Curtin

Remember September 11, 2001
Angels Among Us
Sergeant Michael S. Curtin
Shield 3256
ESS-2
(recovered)
August 12, 2009

Editor’s Note: We at the Chronicle, will never forget those police officers, who have given their lives in 9/11. Each week we will honor one with their stories.

This week we feature:

Sergeant Michael S. Curtin
Shield 3256
ESS-2

Sergeant Michael S. Curtin, 45, was appointed to the NYPD on January 26, 1988, after serving 12 years of active duty in the United States Marine Corps. He began his career on patrol in Field Training Unit 13. He was originally assigned to ESU in July 1991, but saw his police career interrupted when, as a USMC reservist, he was called to duty during Desert Storm. Serving on the front lines, he held the rank of gunnery sergeant and retired from the Reserves as a Sergeant Major. After returning to the NYPD, he responded to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and was also assigned to FEMA in the Oklahoma City rescue efforts. He was promoted to sergeant in December 1995, and re-assigned to ESU in 1998. Although he had recently taken up golf, most of his spare time was spent working on his house. He is survived by his wife Helga; children Jennifer, Erika, and Heather; and brother Jack.

– SPRING 3100, Commemorative Issue

Source: NYP Angels

Firefighter of the Week Dep. Fire Comm. William M. Feehan

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
August 13, 2009

“Been there, done that” probably best describes the illustrious, 42-year FDNY career of First Deputy Fire Commissioner William M. Feehan, whose life and career were cut short when he was killed on September 11, 2001, as a result of the explosion and collapse of the twin World Trade Center Towers in Manhattan.

Chief Feehan held every title within the Department, beginning as a Proby Firefighter when he was appointed on October 10, 1959. He was a Firefighter through 1963, serving in Division 3, Ladder 3 and the Bureau of Fire Prevention. And then the promotions came, from Lieutenant in 1964 to Chief of Department in 1991. Chief Feehan has served as Deputy Fire Commissioner since 1992. He briefly served as Acting Fire Commissioner in 1993-1994.

A life-long Queens resident, Chief Feehan graduated from St. John’s University in 1952. Before his appointment to the FDNY, he served in the United States Army and was decorated with the Combat Infantry Badge, Korean Service Medal, UN Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal during the Korean War.

Chief Feehan’s wife, Elizabeth, pre-deceased him five years ago. He is survived by his daughters, Elizabeth Feehan and Tara Davan, and sons, FF John Feehan, who is assigned to Squad Company 1, and William. Additionally, he is survived by six grandchildren–Siobhan, Kelsey, Connor, William, Virginia and Kelly.

The death of First Deputy Commissioner William M. Feehan–and with it, his experience and expertise – mark the end of an era in the New York City Fire Department.

Source: New York CityFire Department

Officer of the Week – Sergeant John Gerard Coughlin

Remember September 11, 2001
Angels Among Us
Sergeant John Gerard Coughlin
Shield 375
ESS-4
August 4, 2009

Editor’s Note: We at the Chronicle, will never forget those police officers, who have given their lives in 9/11. Each week we will honor one with their stories.

This week we feature:

Sergeant John Gerard Coughlin
Shield 3751
ESS-4

John G. Coughlin was a giving man, and that kept him very busy.

Sergeant Coughlin, 43, was with the emergency services unit of the New York Police Department. In his spare time, he was a volunteer firefighter in Pomona, N.Y., where he lived with his family. “He was always on the go,” said his wife, Patricia Coughlin.

He was good at spoiling his three daughters, Erin, 16, Tara, 13, and Kayla, 6. He took them parasailing, white-water rafting and to amusement parks. He took them to baseball games, but there was a slight complication. He was a Mets fan and all three girls are Yankees fans — Mrs. Coughlin is neutral — and so they went to both stadiums. When the Yankees played the Mets in the World Series, well, that got a little tense.

A former Marine, Sergeant Coughlin was active in the Rockland County detachment of the Marine Corps League, helping older veterans and doing honor guard duty at funerals. “He loved that,” his wife said. “Once a Marine, always a Marine.” One of his favorite times was the middle of December, when he would take a week’s vacation to work on the Marine Toys for Tots Program. “He was a firm believer that every kid should have a toy for Christmas,” Mrs. Coughlin said.

– The New York Times 12/15/2001

Source: NYP Angels

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