Governor Hochul: “They're not just a name on a wall, they’re a human being. But what they will be is a constant reminder to the family around and the children and the other relatives who know they had someone in their midst who was so selfless, so brave of heart, that they put themselves in harm's way by selecting this career. That, to all the families, should be an enormous source of pride, because as Governor of a large family of 20 million New Yorkers, it's a source of pride for me.”
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul honored 29 fallen firefighters at the 26th Annual New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial Ceremony, held at the Empire State Convention Center in Albany. Governor Hochul was joined by State officials, fire department personnel from across the state, and the families and loved ones of New York’s fallen firefighters for this somber event in memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The Fallen Firefighters Memorial, located at the Empire State Plaza, now honors 2,660 of New York’s firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty. The memorial also pays tribute to the thousands of active firefighters in the state who risk their lives every day to protect New Yorkers.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of the event 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:
Thank you, Commissioner Bray, for confirming that I have indeed selected the best and the brightest in public service. We have been shoulder-to-shoulder and life-threatening storms, devastating blizzards, searching for a little nine-year-old girl. And even this morning, I'm getting briefings on threats to our own homeland here that could possibly materialize in light of the atrocities of last weekend. So, thank you, Commissioner Bray, for protecting us every single day. Let's give Commissioner Bray a round of applause.
To Jim Cable, our Fire Administrator, enormous responsibility. I thank you for what you're doing. To our clergy, who again, as they said at the outset, remind us of the presence of God in our lives every single day. I also want to recognize Sam Fresina, the President of the Professional Firefighters Association. Admiral Tase, the President of FASNY. And again, I know many of our elected to be acknowledged by our representatives. Neil Breslin will be acknowledging those from the Senate who joined us, and Stacey Pheffer Amato will be recognizing the Assemblymembers as well. So, I'm grateful to the elected officials, including our Mayor, Kathy Sheehan have joined us.
I've been coming to this event since I was Lieutenant Governor for eight years. It's something I would never miss because I wake up every day feeling I am lucky. Because I'm not asked to go to a service like this. So, I'm always struck by the courage that it takes in every one of you to get out of bed on a day like today, a day when it's probably a lot easier to put the covers back over your head and say, “I don't want to do this, it's just too hard. My pain is still so great. I'm still so sad.” But you do it.
You get dressed, you travel, you gather, you come here, commiserate with others who have that shared experience of enormous pride. Pride – the fact that your son or daughter, who you obviously taught so well to be so selfless to go into this career instead of a job that offered safety and security. Or to your partner or spouse, you chose well. You chose someone who is not self-centered and thinking only of themselves and how to get a paycheck and just check the box – I had a job. They answered to a call. This is a calling. This is a calling that is out there for every single New Yorker. But how many respond? How many say yes? I know there's risks. I know the training is tough. I know when we're in the throes of a fire, it is a horrific inferno. And we don't know if we'll leave safely again.
And yet your loved one, your son or your daughter, husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, mom or dad, they demonstrated they have far more courage than almost anybody else in this state. All of you in the fire service. All of you do. Before I became Governor, I was a local official. I spoke at countless, I mean, at least 10 a year for 14 years, Fireman installation dinners. I love the camaraderie. I love the jokes. I love talking about who screwed up on this call or that call. But there was a deep, abiding love for each other.
So also, to all of you who lost that friend, that partner, the person you used to hang out with at the fire hall or have a beer with after work. You're mourning as well. Every corner of this state has lost people this year, 29 – more than half of which thought they made it home safely from 9/11. You thought they made it home safe. You thought they were the lucky ones on that day, and yes, you may have had a few more years. But as you saw the disease take over your loved one's body, but not their spirit, you hoped you'd never end up in this place on this day. Or those who just said goodbye and said, “I'll see you tonight,” and your loved one didn't make it back. We don't take for granted what they do. We never have, we never will. We don't take for granted your pain, your loss. They say grief is the price we pay for love. All of you had the opportunity to love someone who is just an extraordinary person.
They're not just a name on a wall, they’re a human being. But what they will be is a constant reminder to the family around and the children and the other relatives who know they had someone in their midst who was so selfless, so brave of heart, that they put themselves in harm's way by selecting this career. That, to all the families, should be an enormous source of pride, because as Governor of a large family of 20 million New Yorkers, it's a source of pride for me.
So, hold that close in your heart, next to all your fond memories, but say, you know what? I was so close to someone so special. And know, that as Commissioner Bray so eloquently said, they're not forgotten by you ever, they cannot be. They're not forgotten by us, either, because we go to bed every night, safe and secure, that if something happens, someone's going to show up and help us. Whether it's our law enforcement, our firefighters, State Police – I just had a briefing this morning on how we're protecting our state – all these people are extraordinary people who said, I will do this, I'll do this. I will be willing to go into harm's way to protect people I may never ever see. And for that, we're a better state. We're a safer state.
Many more people are alive today because of the courage of your loved one. Take that to heart. You may have an empty chair at the dinner table, but because of the firefighters in the State of New York, there's a lot of seats that are filled with someone who survived because of courage.
May God bless the firefighting community. May God bless the families that are suffering and mourning today. May God bless the great State of New York, and may God bless the United States of America. Thank you.
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