F.F.A.M.

FDNY Honored at Statue

Chief James E. Leonard speaks at 150th Anniversary ceremony at the Kneeling Firefighter Statue.
Chief James E. Leonard speaks at 150th Anniversary ceremony at the Kneeling Firefighter Statue.

A plaque commemorating the FDNY’s 150th Anniversary was unveiled at the Kneeling Firefighter Statue in Midtown Manhattan during a ceremony hosted by Howard P. Milstein, Chairman of Milstein Properties and Emigrant Savings Bank on July 13.

The event was part of the yearlong celebration of the Department’s 150 years of bravely protecting life and property in New York City.

The Kneeling Firefighter statue arrived at J.F.K. Airport on September 9, 2001 and was originally meant to pass through the city on its way to the Firefighters Association of Missouri. The statue was stranded when all air traffic was halted after September 11. The Firefighters Association of Missouri donated the statue to the Firefighters and citizens of New York in recognition of their losses in the attacks.

“On September 11th, the image of a kneeling Firefighter was seen countless times as FDNY members dropped to a knee from exhaustion, from heartache or to pause and remember the mentor, friend or loved one they had lost,” said Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro. “This statue stands as a symbol of our commitment to never forget the supreme sacrifice of 343 FDNY members.”

In the immediate aftermath of September 11, the Milstein family placed the statue, still lacking a home, outside its Milford Plaza hotel, which provided first responders with accommodations, food and supplies. The statue became a makeshift memorial as thousands of New Yorkers and tourists left candles, photographs of lost loved ones, prayer books, flowers and private notes. On the tenth anniversary of September 11, the Kneeling Firefighter was installed permanently on the plaza outside the headquarters of Emigrant Savings Bank, located at 6 East 43rd Street in Manhattan. Emigrant Savings Bank is the largest privately owned bank in the country.

“After September 11th, this statue stood as a beacon for Firefighters and first responders around the nation who came to help. There’s not a day that goes by that people don’t stop and pay tribute here to our first responders,” said Howard P. Milstein, Chairman of Milstein Properties and Emigrant Savings Bank. “We’re honored to celebrate the resilience, endurance, heroism and service of New York’s Bravest once again on the occasion of its 150th anniversary.”

Archbishop of New York, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, delivered the invocation at the ceremony and blessed a plaque of the “Firefighter’s Prayer,” which will be displayed at FDNY Headquarters.

State Senator Daniel Squadron also presented the Department with a Senate Resolution commemorating the FDNY’s 150th Anniversary.

“Day after day since 1865, as the city has expanded, as the population has grown by leaps and bounds, the FDNY has always been there,” said Chief of Department James E. Leonard. “With this ceremony, we’re ensuring that no one ever forgets the sacrifices of FDNY members – on September 11th, for the last 150 years, and well into the future as well.”