Governor Hochul: “That set the tone for an incredible rescue effort that would take over 200 plus responders on the scene that day, 200 people to get them quickly out of harm's way. And together, they rescued every single child on the bus. So the pain of these two beautiful families didn't have to be replicated over and over and over by traumatized parents and their siblings and grandparents. That's remarkable."
Hochul: “A lot of people can't summon that sense of courage and that sense of helping others that is required to be in your positions. But please know you have a state that will never, ever take for granted your service. That's what sets you apart, that's what makes you special. And that's why as the Governor of the great State of New York, I am so proud and indeed humbled to honor each of you here today.”
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul recognized first responders who were on the scene of the Farmingdale High School bus crash in Orange County on September 21, 2023.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of the Governor's remarks is available here.
PHOTOS of the event are available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
Every day, first responders wake up, they put on their uniform, and head into work knowing that this could be the day, the day they arrive at a horrific scene, the day they'll need to summon all their know-how and all their courage, the day they will knowingly and willingly run into the line of fire or danger.
As you look around this room, these are images and artifacts that symbolize the bravery that was on display by brave personnel who answered the call on September 11, 2001. Also on display here in this room with all of you in person, are the first responders who answered the call on September 21, 2023. I want to recognize all of you for joining us here today. This is a first of its kind.
First of all, we have our Acting State Police Superintendent, Dominick Chiumento. Colonel Richard Allen, State Police Superintendent of Field Command. Nassau County Chief of Police, Stephen Palmer. Farmingdale School Superintendent, Paul Defendini? Someone say it for me. Defendini. Okay. Hochul gets mangled a lot too, so I'm sensitive.
Our Farmingdale High School Principal, Jed Herman. And all the Farmingdale community members who are with us today, especially the members of the marching band who were en route to what should have been an ordinary outing, an annual event, going to Pennsylvania for their annual band camp. It was something they always looked forward to. But on that particular day, it turned into everyone's worst nightmare.
Traveling through Orange County, a bus carrying more than 40 people, most of them students, slid off the highway and tumbled down a ravine. And two beautiful souls were lost that day. 77-year-old Beatrice Ferrari, 32 years as a social studies teacher at Farmingdale High School. Bea, as she was known, took tremendous pride in helping the students succeed and overcome challenges inside and outside the classroom. Today we're joined by Bea's husband, Renato, her daughters, Angela and Dina, and her grandson, Luke, who's a member of the marching band. Please, let's give them some warm recognition for what they've been through.
Bea was retired, but volunteered to chaperone the trip. She loved spending her time with her great friend, Gina, Farmingdale's beloved band director. Gina was also taken from us that day. She was 43 years old. To her students, she was Mrs. P., a tireless and generous leader who built the Farmingdale Marching Band from the ground up. Today, it has over 300 members. It's extraordinary. And everyone can still see her warm smile and her infectious laugh. Here today with us are Gina's parents, Diane and Joseph, her two-year-old son, Joseph, named after her father, her brothers, Anthony and Daniel, many cousins and loved ones. Let's take a moment as a community to have a moment of silence in honor of these two extraordinary women.
May their memory be a blessing to their loved ones and to the countless people whose lives they've touched and whose spirits they nurtured.
You know, as everyone started to see the reports of a bus flipped on its side, everyone feared the worst. Pennsylvania firefighter Hayden Thompson was the first person on the scene that day, and he wasn't even on duty. He wasn't called there. He was working his day job as a truck driver when he saw the wreck. That's one of the remarkable things about our first responders, every one of them would do the same thing, even when they're off the clock. They never turn off that natural instinct to go into harm's way because there just might be someone who needs them at that very moment.
And they sure did. That inherent sense of duty, the willingness to put others’ safety and indeed their own lives ahead of your own. Not far behind were Orange County Sheriff's Deputy Brian Kelly, Silver Lake Fire Chief Mike Morstatt, and Slate Hill Fire Chief Shaun Graham, the very first on the scene. Not long after, they were joined by New York State Police, who I spoke to that day within hours of the accident.
Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. They rushed down a hill toward the wreckage. It would not have been unusual for that bus to go up in flames at any second. And it would have happened while it was being surrounded and approached by these first responders. Think about the first moment they peered into the bus – the chaos, the shattered glass, the crushed metal, the screams, the cries for help, the fear on the faces of children, smoke billowing out of the engine, the clock ticking in your head. You don't know how much time you have. Every second counts, and you don't know how many are seriously hurt. But I have no doubt they look upon all of you that there are people, mostly the students, who are alive today because of your actions in those early, most pivotal moments.
And that set the tone for an incredible rescue effort that would take over 200 plus responders on the scene that day, 200 people to get them quickly out of harm's way. And together, they rescued every single child on the bus. So the pain of these two beautiful families didn't have to be replicated over and over and over by traumatized parents and their siblings and grandparents. That's remarkable.
This is 50 feet below the road. 50 feet below I-84, where ambulances were arriving. No. Did you panic? No. You were calm. You were cool. You handled it the way you were trained to do. You set up a rope to pull stretchers up on the road. You rescued people, raced them off to hospitals. And if any chain in that link breaks, it could be traumatic.
Pressure. Perhaps your own sense of anxiety. And I know, because I have met so many first responders in my life, none of you think of yourselves as heroes. But allow us to think of you as heroes. Allow us to say thank you from a grateful state and the grateful families of the Farmingdale Marching Band, an entire community that was traumatized by this. You'll say you're just doing your jobs, that anyone else would have done it, but courage is a choice.
There's a lot of people who don't even sign up to put on the uniforms that you do. Our volunteer firefighters, EMTs, the rescue, those who go to the academies to become officers – that's available to a lot of people. But a lot of people can't summon that sense of courage and that sense of helping others that is required to be in your positions.
But please know you have a state that will never, ever take for granted your service. That's what sets you apart, that's what makes you special. And that's why as the Governor of the great State of New York, I am so proud and indeed humbled to honor each of you here today. Thank you.