Blog | Better Angels

B.C. Edward Geraghty

Posted on August 9, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

Battalion 9 is HQ’d with Engine 54 and Ladder 4 (“The Pride of Midtown”) at 48th and 8th in Manhattan, on the west edge of Times Square. Battalion Chief Edward Geraghty oversaw 5 firehouses on the West Side from this base. All responded to 9/11. Earlier in his career BC Geraghty ran the FDNY training academy on Randall’s Island. On his first day he gave the new recruits a pep talk. When finished, the other instructors behind him were somewhat stunned. “You’re not supposed to be nice,” they said. “You’re supposed to scare the hell out of them.” That wasn’t his way. His wife of 17 years said she only saw him in a bad mood twice. “Life doesn’t get any better than this” was a favorite line.

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, Battalion Nine, better angels, Dawn Siebel, Edward Geraghty, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, paintings, portraits, World Trade Center, WTC | Leave a comment

B.C. Dennis Devlin

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

Battalion Chief Dennis Lawrence Devlin’s last assignment was Division 3 on W. 77th where he was NYC Special Events Coordinator. He was off-duty on 9/11, volunteering to help with the day’s primary election in NYC. When he saw the events unfold, he responded. This 21-year FDNY veteran and father of four never missed a swim meet or game that any of his children were in. He was an avid runner – and a dedicated scrapbook maker. The 23 meticulously labeled photo albums he left behind are now “such a joy,” said his wife. “We all look at them and think how blessed we are that he took the time and that we were a happy family.”

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, Battalion Nine, better angels, Dawn Siebel, Dennis Devlin, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, paintings, portraits, World Trade Center, WTC | 1 Comment

Firefighter Vincent Princiotta

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

Vincent Princiotta, the “Vin Man,” loved to surf. Starting in the 70s he drove his friends from the Bronx to the beach, their surfboards strapped to the roof of his van. He loved playing little practical jokes (like buying fake winning lotto tickets for his buddies) and cooked up “heaps of Italian food” at the firehouse. He left behind a 16-month-old daughter.

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, better angels, Dawn Siebel, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, Ladder Co. 7, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, paintings, portraits, Vincent Princiotta, World Trade Center, WTC | Leave a comment

Firefighter Richard Muldowney, Jr.

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

Richard Muldowney Jr., 40, always knew he wanted to be a firefighter, fighting mock fires with his friends when he was a child. He was also a “spectacular carpenter” who could “build almost anything” and a dedicated bayman who loved fishing, crabbing and clamming. One of his best friend was FF Joe Falco whose injuries from 9/11 forced his retirement. Lying in the debris of the South Tower, not sure yet if he was alive, Falco thought he heard Muldowney calling out “Hey Boy” to him. Muldowney was already gone.

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, better angels, Dawn Siebel, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, Ladder Co. 7, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, paintings, portraits, Richard Muldowney, World Trade Center, WTC | 2 Comments

Firefighter Charles Mendez

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

Firefighter Charles Mendez “was a reed of a boy who grew up to be a good-sized man with a heart to match.” This 38-year-old had been on the force for 9 years and loved his job. His body was recovered in the ruins of the WTC on New Years’ Eve 2001, and carried out by his friends.

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, better angels, Charles Mendez, Dawn Siebel, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters of 9/11, Ladder Co. 7, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, paintings, portraits, World Trade Center, WTC | Leave a comment

Firefighter Robert Foti

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

Robert Foti of Ladder 7 was appointed to the FDNY in 1988. This 42-year-old firefighter grew up in NYC and loved to hunt, fish and scuba dive. He left behind three children.

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, better angels, Dawn Siebel, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, Ladder Co. 7, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, paintings, portraits, Robert Foti, World Trade Center, WTC | Leave a comment

Firefighter George Cain

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

Firefighter George Cain skied “like the wind.” He spent five years as a carpenter by summer and skiing all winter in Telluride, Colorado, until he was called up to the FDNY in 1994. At Ladder 7 they called him the “Dude.” He could beat any of them in a race up the stairs.

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, better angels, Dawn Siebel, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, George Cain, Ladder Co. 7, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, paintings, portraits, World Trade Center, WTC | 1 Comment

Capt. Vernon Richard

Posted on August 2, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

Captain Vernon Richard of Tower Ladder 7 loved roller coasters. This 24-year FDNY veteran was a father of two and a Deacon of his church, adding his deep baritone to their choir. A member of the NY Road Runners, he finished six NYC marathons. Vernon and five other members of Ladder 7 were lost on 9/11.

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, better angels, Dawn Siebel, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, Ladder Co. 7, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, paintings, portraits, Vernon Richard, World Trade Center, WTC | Leave a comment

Engine 21

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

Engine 21 was parked under the north pedestrian bridge that crossed West Street from the WTC to the World Financial Center complex on the river. Neither of the two bridges survived the collapses, but the north bridge was completely destroyed, being almost immediately west of Tower One. The bridge destroyed the cab of E21 but spared the back. Many firefighters dove under trucks that day to save their lives. For some it worked; for others it was no refuge.

“Rounding one corner, a visitor will suddenly come upon the rear end of Engine 21 (“Keep back 200 feet,” it still commands), looking merely like an old fire truck that has seen a lot of action. A few steps more into the gallery, however, and it is revealed as a mechanical carcass.”  www.nytimes.com/2013/06/29/nyregion/at-9-11-museum-shocks-of-awe-and-grief.html

Posted in Better Angels Stories | Tagged 343, 9/11, better angels, Dawn Siebel, Engine 21, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, World Trade Center, WTC | Leave a comment

Capt. William Burke, Jr.

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Dawn Siebel

Captain William Burke, Jr., was a handsome bachelor who followed his father into the FDNY. Calling him “a firefighter is a little like referring to Elvis as an entertainer.” “He always made everything better,” said his brother. An instructor at the fire academy, “Billy” was an FDNY veteran of more than two decades. On 9/11, he and his men of Ladder 21 were in the North Tower evacuating a handicapped civilian and others. He ordered his men out and continued searching. His men survived.

Posted in Better Angels Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged 343, 9/11, better angels, Dawn Siebel, Engine Co. 21, FDNY, firefighter, firefighters, firefighters of 9/11, LODD, Manhattan, memorial, NFFF, paintings, portraits, William Burke, World Trade Center, WTC | 1 Comment