December 17, 2001

PRESS RELEASE

To: Newsroom

For Immediate Release

Contact: David Bryant, Asst. to the Fire Chief

Phone: 673-6654, page: 675-2137

Shreveport Firefighters 9-11 Donation to be Hand Delivered in New York

The Shreveport Fire Department, who collected $27,000 for the families of New York firefighters lost in the September 11 terrorist attacks, will be hand delivering the donation later this week in New York City.

On behalf of the department and International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 514, department spokesman Brian Crawford will present the check, made out to "The New York Firefighters 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund," to New York City Fire Officials during an upcoming visit to Manhattan. Union President Margene McCoy, who organized the boot drives for the firefighter’s families, said this was a much more appropriate way to deliver the donations. Along with the donation, a plaque honoring the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) from The Concerned Citizens of Shreveport will also be presented.

Crawford is traveling to New York with his wife for a vacation that was booked on September 7, four days before the terrorist attacks. "When we first planned the trip, I’ll be perfectly honest with you, I had no real desire to go to New York but my wife has always wanted to," said Crawford. Now, being able to pay personal respects as well as those for the department firsthand has changed his outlook. "There is no place in the world that I would rather be and no honor in my professional career I have looked forward to more," said Crawford.

The department has been in contact with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) for two weeks concerning the logistics of the presentation. The exact day and time that the donation will be turned over has not yet been determined, only that it will happen while Crawford is in New York from December 18 through the 23. "We realize all of the physical and emotional things they are having to deal with right now. We want the time to accept the donation to be on their terms," said Crawford. More than likely, the presentation will occur at ground zero, where more than 300 New York City firefighters and 3000 people overall lost their lives when the World Trade Center’s twin towers collapsed - an area firefighters now view as sacred and hallowed. ###

Click here to view pictures of the Twin Towers site.