🔥 “The best thing I did as Fire Commissioner — and the most painful.”
In July 1998, under the leadership of Commissioner Tom Von Essen, the FDNY established its Special Operations Squads — elite companies designed to bolster the city’s technical rescue capabilities and support the department’s five Rescue Companies.
In this emotional reflection, Von Essen calls the squads one of his proudest achievements and, in the aftermath of September 11th, one of the most heartbreaking. Ninety members of Special Operations were lost that day — some of the best-trained and most dedicated firefighters in the world.
The squads continue to serve as one of the FDNY’s most vital assets — where ambition meets mentorship, and experience meets courage.
FULL INTERVIEW HERE:
Mike Colón Media 
Leave a comment