Matthew Rogan, 37, joined the FDNY in 1994, after eight years with the NYPD, following the paths of his father and brother. Famously unassuming, birthdays brought unwelcome attention and Christmas was too commercial. In 1997, after swimming through the ice-cold East River in bunker gear to rescue a woman, he found the press interview more difficult than the rescue. Within his family, he was known for his great sense of humor.
He left behind a teenage daughter and 10-year-old twin boys.