Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good morning, everyone. It is a privilege to welcome you this morning to City Hall as we honor the courage and the commitment of FDNY members. We are here together today to recognize the heroism of men and women being honored today, those whose service and whose sacrifice have made such immense contributions to our city. As we do so, I want to pause to acknowledge all those who make their work possible, many of whom are here with us today. The family members, the friends, those whose steadfast love and support provide the foundation for their courage. Can we please have a round of applause for the incredible family and friends?
I also want to thank our fire commissioner, Lillian Bonsignore, as well as our chief of department, John Esposito, for your dedicated leadership of the FDNY. Every morning across our city, New Yorkers wake up and go to work. They have a cup of coffee, they pack their bag [and] they say goodbye to their loved ones at the door. They set about their days safe in the knowledge that if something goes wrong, there are people across our city whose daily purpose it is to protect them, to put out fires, to heal them if injured. Every morning, across our city, FDNY members wake up and go to work too.
Except for you, a day at work means running into the fire so that others can run away. It means choosing to save, to serve in the face of danger. It means arriving at the scene of an emergency and putting your city before yourself. Thanks to your bravery, there are New Yorkers this evening who are sitting down to dinner with their families. Children whose parents are around to play with them. New Yorkers, who we otherwise would have lost. I know I look out on a collection of New Yorkers who shrug off that kind of praise with humility.
And I know that when you are putting out a fire or loading someone into the back of an ambulance, glory is far from your mind. "I was just doing my job" could very well be the unofficial slogan of the FDNY. And yet you do your jobs because you love your city, because you have dedicated your lives to making New Yorkers safer each and every day in ways often unrecognized. Today gives us the opportunity for something different. It offers us an opportunity to recognize your work, to recognize the ways in which you have served our city.
Over the next few hours, we will hear the stories of 50 extraordinary medals, stories that illustrate what it really means to heed the call of a life of sacrifice and a life of service. We will also have the privilege of witnessing a number of firsts in FDNY history, including the first medal honoring the Special Investigations Unit for Fire Prevention, the first medal honoring our fire alarm dispatchers and the first time ever in New York City history that a father and a son will receive FDNY medals on the same day.
Today's medals represent far more than much-deserved recognition. They are a testament to the bond between this department and the people that this department protects every day. They are the symbol of 8.5 million New Yorkers' gratitude. So, on behalf of every New Yorker, those whose homes you've saved, whose families you've kept whole, and those who sleep soundly at night, knowing that if they ever needed you, you'd be there. Thank you, and congratulations.
Andrew Brown, Captain, Fire Department: Thank you very much, Mayor Mamdani, and of course, let's go Knicks. Next, we will hear from Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore.
Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore: Good morning, FDNY family. What a great day. What a great [day], and welcome to City Hall. Mr. Mayor, deputy mayors - thank you for having us here today. We look forward to this all year. I love FDNY Medal Day. It's a moment that celebrates the best and the bravest among us. And one I truly have looked forward to every single year. Today is an amazing day. For members receiving medals, for their families, and for all the wonderful supporters gathered here to celebrate these incredible stories. Thank you to City Hall for hosting us on such a memorable day.
In the FDNY, there is never a dull moment. Responding to fires and medical emergencies is what we do every single day, every single tour. Our jobs require that we repeatedly put ourselves in harm's way in service of others. When the call comes in, we head out, no matter what time, no matter what location, no matter threat looms ahead. That's why days like today are so incredible, because we take a moment to take stock of the truly hair-raising, remarkable and heroic responses that we know, and you know - that you will remember for the rest of your career. The moments we know we saved a life. What an incredible, heartfelt moment when we know that we've achieved that. One of today's top medals is an incredible story of the fire lieutenant who entered a Bronx apartment building with heavy fire without the safety of a hose line, and [he] crawled past heavy fire and thick smoke to locate an unconscious civilian. He handed that victim off to arriving members before going back inside to help extinguish that fire.
Congratulations to Lieutenant Patrick Donlon on winning the department's top medal - but wait, there's more - and to his son, firefighter Timothy Donlon, who is also getting a medal today. I do think this is the first time a father and son are both receiving medals on the same day. You will also hear the harrowing story of two paramedics who encountered a heavily involved fire in a four-story apartment building in Brooklyn while responding to another assignment. They helped with the evacuations, gave critical information to firefighters about where those people were trapped and then administered the medical care to those people. There are also a few new medals: one meant to honor the Special Investigations Unit of the Fire Prevention, whose work ensuring compliance with fire code is saving lives every single day, and another is for fire alarm dispatchers, whose calm under pressure sets the tone for successful responses. Another is named for one of our fallen members.
These stories today are all remarkable, and incredibly, it's just part of a day's work at the FDNY. Take a moment, take a moment today to breathe all this in. Remember the scene here on the grand steps of City Hall in front of all your family and your friends in a moment I hope will define your careers. Know that this work, this work you do, is awesome and it matters and at a moment's notice, you are capable of extraordinary things. I am grateful to be here with you to celebrate. I congratulate you on a job well done. Enjoy today, you've earned it. Thank you and stay safe.
Captain Brown: Thank you, Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore. We will now hear from Chief of Department John Esposito.
Chief of Department John M. Esposito: Good morning and thank you. I think 75 and 33 have it right with these alternate uniforms. It's great to see you. It's an honor to be here with you today as we recognize the very best of the FDNY, the members who went above and beyond when the conditions demanded it. Medal Day is one of the proudest traditions in the FDNY. It's a day when we pause to recognize the extraordinary courage and determination of our members. Every day they go into dangerous and uncertain situations, often exposing themselves to enormous personal risk, because they know someone needs help. One of the medals that we're gonna present today is the Probationary Firefighter Thomas A. Wylie Medal. It's given to probationary firefighters, so it's not given every year. And here to present the medal is his son and daughter. His son Joe was just promoted to lieutenant in the fire department last week. So, congratulations, Joe.
Each medal represents a moment where our members stepped up to the plate. And although they'd probably say, "It's all part of the job," we really know that it's a lot more than that. Each year, as we read through these Medal Day write-ups, we are reminded of what the job asks of our members. It asks them to respond when others are running out of time. It asks to them to enter burning buildings; operate in heavy smoke [and] intense heat; reach victims trapped above a fire; pull people from the water; [treat] critically injured people; and make split second decisions in moments when hesitation is not an option. We're also reminded that what you do at work matters. It matters to your company and unit. It matters the people whose lives were saved. I know that most of you or all of you are very humble. But I wanna make sure that you realize the impact and the gravity of your actions. There are people alive and well today because of what you did. Your training, experience, capability and bravery all came together, and you were ready and courageous. Thank you for that great work.
Across the city, FDNY members do this every day. An example happened on an evening in June of 2025. During a rapidly spreading fire, members of Rescue Company 3 heard a firefighter's Viber Alert activate. They located the injured member and began removing them under intensifying and spreading fire conditions. Ladder Company 56 and Rescue 3 coordinated the effort to remove the member from the building. Once outside, an EMS lieutenant recognized the severity of the situation and directed waiting paramedics to provide life-saving treatment for severe smoke inhalation. For this job, four medals are being presented today: Lieutenant Joseph Light, Rescue Company 3; Firefighter Peter Constantine of Rescue Company 3 - and congratulations to Pete, who retired about two weeks ago. EMS Lieutenant Brian Codio from EMS Special Operations Command; and Ladder Company 56 - the entire company is being honored today. That rescue is an example of the teamwork among fire and EMS members that makes the FDNY so extraordinary. It shows what happens when training, trust, courage and coordination all come together. So, to all f today's medal recipients, thank you for your service and your continued commitment to the life-saving mission of the FDNY. God bless you and God bless the FDNY.
