Message from General President Harold Schaitberger:

“Fifteen years ago on September 11, 2001, on a beautiful and then horrific Tuesday morning on the south end of Manhattan, we were faced with a catastrophic moment in our country and our profession. 

“343 of the very bravest from FDNY made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our nation and on behalf of the citizens they were sworn to protect. And at the Pentagon, hundreds of members from locals in Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland battled the flames and risked their lives to pull people from the rubble.

“Our two incredible locals, the Uniformed Firefighters Association Local 94 and Uniformed Fire Officers Association Local 854, were faced with a disastrous moment, for which no playbook had been written.

“This union of ours, our members and leaders across two great countries came together in an incredible display of solidarity to begin taking care of the families of our fallen and those who were left behind.

“The details of our work, the resources, the financial assistance – more than $164 million for the 9/11 Disaster Relief Fund – and the support from our combined efforts are well chronicled. In the face of an unspeakable disaster, the pure solidarity displayed by everyone across this union is a moment that we should all be proud of.”