After a great deal of hard work and perseverance by many good people, we are thrilled to see these young men now have the opportunity to follow in their fathers footsteps thanks to the legacy credit bill signed into law. Best of luck to you! Legacy credits mean the difference between the wait list and a spot in the Fire Academy for Staten Island man STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Dennis Murray almost didnt get the chance to follow in his dads footsteps as a firefighter. His father, FDNY Lt. John Murray, died in 2008, succumbing to cancer brought on by debris from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and a bill signed into law this September was meant to acknowledge that sacrifice. Under this law, the children and siblings of uniformed service workers who died due to Sept. 11-related illnesses would get 10 legacy credits on their FDNY entrance exams. My dad was a firefighter for over 20 years. He loved his job... I was lucky enough to go to firehouse Christmas parties and firehouse picnics when I was a kid, the 24-year-old Westerleigh resident said. I definitely felt like it would be a way for me to honor his memory, if I could follow in his footsteps. Except Murray, and 12 other applicants whose parents died as a result of the attacks, nearly fell through a loophole. The city Department of Citywide Administrative Services deemed that the law would only affect new hires, and Murray had already put in his application. Murray had done well on the entrance exam, but without those legacy credits, hed be languishing about 1,800 names deep on a waiting list. I just couldnt believe it, after all the work that was put into it, to not have it affect anything? How could this be? asked the 24-year-old Westerleigh resident. On Jan. 14, though, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law closing that loophole, and that meant that Murray and the others - including the sons of Rescue Co. 5 firefighter Larry Sullivan, who succumbed to a rare intestinal cancer the FDNY linked to his work at Ground Zero - could join the fire academys January 2014 class. Countless New York City Firefighters and other first responders are still feeling the effects of 9/11 every day as their health deteriorates. Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature recognize the sacrifices of these members and now their children will be granted the legacy points they deserve, said Steve Cassidy, the president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association. With this new law, these 13 FDNY applicants will be able to fulfill lifelong goals and pursue their dreams of becoming New York City Firefighters. Read more: silive/news/index.ssf/2014/02/legacy_credits_mean_the_differ.html
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 19:10:38 +0000