Posted by Firehouse.com (165.247.13.141) on November 09, 2001 at 15:08:47:
New York Memorial Service Postponed
IAFF Cites Arrests, Rift with City; FDNY Says Families
Wanted Delay, Join Mayor Against Unions
Also See: A Message from General President Schaitberger
LON SLEPICKA, HEATHER CASPI and DAVE J. IANNONE
Firehouse.com News
Citing a growing rift with the city and fire department over staffing at the World Trade
Center site, the Memorial Service for the 343 fallen firefighters and paramedics in New York
scheduled for Nov. 18 was called off Wednesday by the International Association of
Firefighters and its New York affiliates. The city and FDNY followed the announcement
accusing the unions of spreading misinformation.
IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger told Firehouse.com
that the treatment, specifically from the Mayor Rudolph Giuliani
and FDNY Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen, dictated that
there was no chance of the rift being solved and that the Nov.
18 service was definitely off.
"Given the concern felt by the widows of our fallen brothers and
thousands of New York fire fighters and fire officers about the
cityâs 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," Schaitberger said.
A make up date for the service was not announced.
"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," he said.
Specifically, the Commissioner and Mayor cut the number of
firefighters working at ground zero, recovering bodies as they
were uncovered in the cleanup effort, to 25. At times the
number had been as large as 150. Firefighters protested said it
was not enough to do a thorough job and bodies would be
loaded and dumped in the landfill where all rubble from the site is
being taken.
FDNY Says It Requested Postponement
But a terse statement from the FDNY blamed the union for
allowing politics to play a role in the announcement. The
Department said it asked for the postponement due to concern
for the families, not the events at Ground Zero over the past week.
"The announcement clearly shows that the absolute last priority of this union (the IAFF) is
the families who are involved," the statement said. "We asked the union to postpone the
event because a majority of the families let us know they clearly thought it was too soon to
have a memorial service. Instead, the unions use it as an excuse to inflame and misinform
once again. They should be ashamed of themelves."
Giuliani said recommendations of safety experts and avoiding further injuries as rationale
behind the staffing reduction. "This dangerous operation must be carried out with discipline
and due regard for the health and safety of everyone involved -- even if some people have
lost perspective and argue for throwing caution to the wind," he said in a statement
released Wednesday night.
"It is a shame that the unions would cancel a
memorial service and spread misinformation to
the public regrading the City's efforts to
recover the remains of those lost in the World
Trade Center attack," Giuliani said. "The Fire
Commission will continue to assess the need
for an expanded complement of firefighters on
the scene and has, for example, doubled the
number to ensure that there will be a
maximum effort to recover all human remains
possible."
The Uniformed Firefighters Association Local
94 (UFA) and the Uniformed Fire Officers
Association Local 854 (UFOA) played a role in
the postponement decision.
No New Date Announced
The Memorial Service had been expected to
be the largest gathering of firefighters and
rescue workers in history and had been
dubbed a 'historic partnership between the
city, the fire department and IAFF union
leaders' to stage the memorial, Schaitberger
said when the service was first announced.
Schaitberger said that they would be planning
a new memorial service after the new
administration took over New York City Hall.
Media mogul Michael Bloomberg, a Republican,
beat the city's elected public advocate,
Democrat Mark Green, in the race to succeed
term-limited Giuliani in Tuesdayâs election.
Schaitberger would not speculate when a
service might be resceduled.
Schaitberger said the fellow firefighters
nationwide who had made plans to attend the
memorial would have to deal with the
situation noting most airlines would probably
be willing to reschedule tickets and hotels
would honor a cancellation 48 hours prior to
arrival. "Our members will stand by the wishes
and needs of the people here."
Many hotels in the immediate downtown area
around Madison Square Garden have been
sold out since the announcement of the
Memorial Service about two weeks ago.
On forums at Firehouse.com and in
discussions elsewhere, firefighters were
encouraging some of those with reservations to keep their plans to come to New York -- to
attend funeral and memorial services for the fallen FDNY members that may be scheduled
during the four-day period of Nov. 16-19.
Ron Siarnicki, Director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation said, "the NFFF
understands the concern the memorial service planners have for the families of the New
York City fallen firefighters."
"We are committed to ensure those heroes are never forgotten and that the survivors
receive the support and assistance they need," Siarnicki said. "The Foundation stands ready
to assist the memorial service planners once the new date has been established."
From the IAFF Statement:
"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?" Schaitberger said.
"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 cityâs 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 FDNYâs 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 343 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 victimâs 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." Giulianiâs 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.