Lieutenant Daniel O’Callaghan of Ladder 4 was promoted to Captain on September 10, 2011. He had two young children at home and when he worked a 24-hour shift, he left post-it notes throughout the house for his family to find with smiley faces and sweet notes written on them. His wife wrote that he always carried a prayer card in his pocket with a book of matches stapled to it. It was his “lucky charm,” but on 9/11 he left it behind. In March of 2012, he and his men were recovered in the ruins of the South Tower.
Each year, a stair climb in full firefighting gear and Breathing apparatus is on here in Melbourne, Australia.
2018 was my first attempt at this event.
On our competitor bib, a fallen FDNY firefighters name and picture is printed. I had the honour to climb 28 floors with Capt. Daniel O’Callaghan, my closest friend at my fire station here in Australia is also a Daniel.
On the 24th floor of 28 on this day, full gear and on air in Breathing Apparatus, this was as far as I could go, I was ready to quit. When I looked down at my competitor bib, looked at Capt. O’Callaghan, his picture of him and his family with Mickey Mouse, inspired me to the finish line on the 28th floor.
RIP my brother.