Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

The New York Fire Department Marks First Graduating Class Since September 11

Aired November 02, 2001 - 06:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: The New York Fire Department marks its first graduating class since the September 11 attacks; 240 rookie firefighters received diplomas and handshakes at the ceremony in Brooklyn.

And CNN's Brian Palmer has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A capacity crowd gathers to mark a moment this day -- graduation from New York City's Fire Academy, the first since September 11 -- 2,500 seats filled by probationary firefighters, or Probys, and their families.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Firefighter Frank Campana (ph).

PALMER: But six seats left vacant, for Probys who died in the September 11 rescue effort, along with the veteran firefighters who were killed, they were honored by the Academy's top graduates.

WILLIAM HARTMAN, VALEDICTORIAN, CLASS 2, 2001: Firefighter Richard Allen, firefighter Calixto Anaya, Jr., firefighter Andrew Brunn, firefighter Michael Cammarata, firefighter Michael Dauria, firefighter Anthony Rodriguez, and also drill instructors, Matthew Darvy (ph) and Douglas Miller (ph).

PALMER: This is at the Academy's largest class. It's hardly the most diverse. But it is already, after the 9-11 attacks, the most battle tested.

BROGAN HEALY, VALEDICTORIAN, CLASS 3, 2001: My class was called to duty one day early. While the emotions prevalent to the past seven weeks have weighed heavy on all of us, I know that none of us regret the decision to become firemen.

PALMER: No regrets from Probys or veterans, but caution and reflection.

COMMISSIONER THOMAS VON ESSEN, NEW YORK FIRE DEPARTMENT: I really just have to make parents understand that we would never send anybody out to a firehouse that wasn't ready. I would never do that. I could not look friends of mine in the eye, who had sons in these classes, and be able to live with that. MAYOR RUDY GUILIANI, NEW YORK: The Fire Department, I truly believe, is going to emerge from this stronger than it was before.

PALMER: Proby Peter Yuskevich joins his grandfather and uncle in the Fire Department family. Both uncle and nephew were part of the September 11 efforts.

PETER YUSKEVICH, NEW FIREFIGHTER: It was my first run on the job in the field. It was our first day out, you know. Hopefully, I'll never see anything like that again.

PALMER (on camera): After graduating this class of recruits, the department returns to searching for and burying those killed on September 11, and to their regular job, fighting fires in the city of New York.

Brian Palmer, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.