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This is from the IAFF web site regarding the Memorial Service On November 18 2001.
Fire Fighter Memorial Service Postponed
Healing not possible as City halts recovery and arrests fire fighters.
Nov. 7, 2001 - The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and its two New York City affiliates, the Uniformed Firefighters Association Local 94 (UFA) and the Uniformed Fire Officers Association Local 854 (UFOA), today announced postponement of the fire fighter memorial service scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 18.
"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," IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger said. "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."
"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?"
"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 344 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.
The International Association of Fire Fighters is an AFL-CIO affiliated labor union representing more than 245,000 professional fire fighters and emergency medical personnel in the United States and Canada. Learn more about the IAFF at www.iaff.org. Contact: George Burke at (202) 824-1506 or 1 (888) 347-7593.
Fire Fighter Memorial Service Postponed
Healing not possible as City halts recovery and arrests fire fighters.
Nov. 7, 2001 - The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and its two New York City affiliates, the Uniformed Firefighters Association Local 94 (UFA) and the Uniformed Fire Officers Association Local 854 (UFOA), today announced postponement of the fire fighter memorial service scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 18.
"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," IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger said. "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."
"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?"
"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 344 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.
The International Association of Fire Fighters is an AFL-CIO affiliated labor union representing more than 245,000 professional fire fighters and emergency medical personnel in the United States and Canada. Learn more about the IAFF at www.iaff.org. Contact: George Burke at (202) 824-1506 or 1 (888) 347-7593.
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