Staten Island Firefighters Monument
Every year,
on a Wednesday morning in early October, thousands of firefighters gather at the New York City Firefighters Memorial on Riverside
Drive in upper Manhattan to pay tribute to those hero firefighters who died in the never-ending battle against fire. This
is a solemn day as our fallen brothers are remembered. This ceremony is well known throughout the city. There is another Memorial
Ceremony that is not as well known.
Earlier in the morning on the same day of the ceremony, there is another gathering
of firefighters at the Staten Island Firefighters Monument, which is located on Clove Road near the 8th Division Headquarters.
This monument is a tribute to the firefighters who lived or worked on Staten Island and died in the line of duty.
In 1991
the 8th Division was asked to participate in a memorial ceremony at a monument dedicated to Patrolman Thomas Schmenti and
to all Civil Servants. It happened that it fell on the same day as the FDNY Memorial Day. It also appeared that we were the
only municipal service in attendance. A question was asked, Why dont we have our own monument on Staten Island? After all
there are more than three thousand five hundred active and retired firefighters working or living on Staten Island. Staten
Island has one of the largest Retired Firefighter Organizations with almost nine hundred members. The seed was planted the
idea was born.
There were many obstacles that had to be overcome before the seed could grow. With the retired firefighters
taking the lead. A committee of both active and retired firefighters was formed. A site was found next to the Patrick J. Dalessio
Post Veterans War Memorial and state and city approval was obtained. We received much needed support from Borough President
Guy Molinari. Fund raising, which we thought would be a problem, was so successful we were able to double the size of the
monument. Community support was overwhelming and many businesses donated their services in erecting our monument.
Researching
through Fire Department record back over 128 years was a monumental task. Because that Staten Island joined the Fire Department
of the City of New York in 1898 one would think our task would have been easier, but it wasnt. We found that at least thirty-six
Staten Islanders were killed in the line of duty. Unfortunately the horror of September 11, 1991 added seventy-eight names
to the list.
The Monument was dedicated on May 19, 1993 before a crowd much larger than anyone ever expected. This monument
of stone is an everlasting reminder to those who pass by. We fellow firefighters do not need a monument of stone to remember,
for they live in our hearts forever. As the inscription on the monument profoundly reads,
To live in the hearts of those
left behind is not to die.
The seventy-eight Staten Island Firefighters who died at the W.T.C. on 9/11 are listed
separately on the W.T.C. memorium page.
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