History

Last night, we had the great opportunity to honor three wonderful contributors to our department at our annual Charles N. Davidson awards ceremony. Lieutenant Joseph Bruneau, retired firefighter Louis Faugno, and longtime Center Volunteer Firefighter Peter Carew. Between them, these men have exemplified what it has meant to serve their city as not just firefighters but proud residents of our city. We thank them for all they’ve done and continue to do for our city and we also thank the staff at Lorenzo’s for their wonderful hospitality in allowing us to host this time honored tradition.

As the 24th anniversary of the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 approaches, we in the Center District continued what has become an annual tradition of the laying of American flags. With the laying of these flags, we remember each life lost on that terrible day. The 343 firefighters of the FDNY, 37 Port Authority Police Officers, 23 NYPD Officers, 3 Court Officers, and 2 Federal Agents who courageously rushed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center to rescue those trapped, but also the many more first responders who’ve died since of illnesses related to their work at the sight in the months that followed. Laying the first flag was retired FDNY Lieutenant Mickey Cross, who responded with his Engine Company that day and miraculously, survived the collapse of the North Tower. Though nearly a quarter century has passed since 9/11, the memory of those lost and the mission to honor them has not and never will fade. We mean what we say when we say we will Never Forget.

Part 2 of our ongoing interview series on Facets of Fire Command features Chief of Department James O’Brien, who in his 31 years in the fire service, has been an officer for 23 of them. Serving as a Lieutenant from 2001-2007, and Chief of Department from 2007 until the present day. Here are some memorable moments and incidents he can recall from his lengthy career.

We recently sat down and profiled Deputy Chief of Administration William Johnson, the current longest serving member of our department, as part of an ongoing project highlighting both command principles and the careers and experiences of our fire officers. In a near four decade career, what are the fires and emergencies that most stand out? Listen here as he shares.

On September 11, 2001, Mickey Kross, was a 25-year veteran Lieutenant of the FDNY assigned to Engine Company 16 in Midtown Manhattan when his company would be dispatched to the World Trade Center. Responding to the North Tower, they’d ascended as high as the 20th floor when the adjacent South Tower collapsed, forcing all remaining emergency workers to evacuate. Descending, Lt. Kross had reached the 3rd floor when the North Tower began to collapse as well. In what’s since become known as the Miracle of Stairway B, Lt. Kross along with several other firefighters survived. Now a resident of West Haven, Lt. Kross sat down for an extended interview with Center District Digital Media Specialist Mike Colón. This is his story.

On September 11, 2001, a vicious attack occurred on America. The Pentagon in Washington, DC and the World Trade Center in New York City both struck by airliners hijacked by terrorists. The Pentagon heavily damaged, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center destroyed, collapsing as a result of their being struck by the hijacked aircraft. In the end 2,977 innocent people would perish in this attack. Among those killed, were over 400 emergency responders, including 71 police officers and federal agents and 343 firefighters. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, members of the West Haven Fire Department responded to the World Trade Center to assist with the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero. This is their story.