The Kneeling Fireman

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

In the late 2000s, the Kneeling Fireman was designed and created; originally for the Firefighters Association of Missouri. Once the statue was finished it was destined to ship to Missouri. Two days after, the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center had taken place. 342 firefighters lost their lives and those who survived have faced severe illnesses and injuries. The statue was left in New York City as a monument for the fallen firefighters during the 9/11 attack.

Images

Plant, Infrastructure, Statue, Sculpture

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

In 1954, over 100 fire departments in Missouri came together to form a state-wide firemen organization. After admitting over 7,000 members, in October 2000, Matthews International Corporation of Pittsburgh was assigned to create a bronze stature for Missouri's organization. In August 2001, the statue was finished and was sent from Parma, Italy. When the statue arrived to the U.S., it was held on pause for delivery to Missouri.

September 11th, 2001, The Kneeling Fireman was located at JFK International airport. At 8:46am, Flight 11 crashed into the north face of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. A few minutes later, Flight 175 crashed into the south face of the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Immediately, 412 New York firemen responded to the site. Some were instructed to enter the building to ensure all floors were evacuated. Almost 3000, people had passed away during the attack and 343 firefighters risked their lives to save others.

In response to the attack, David DeCarlo of Matthews Bronze, the Pittsburgh company which designed the statue, picked up the stature from the airport and drove it in Midtown New York City. It was the donated by the Missouri organization to the firefighters and citizens of New York in recognition of their losses in the attacks.

Sources

'The Kneeling Fireman' Is Dedicated at Emigrant Savings Bank as Tribute to September 11 First Responders, Howard & Abby Milstein Foundation. October 22nd 2011. Accessed January 31st 2021. https://www.howardandabbymilsteinfoundation.org/2011/09/the-kneeling-fireman-is-dedicated-emigrant-savings-bank-tribute-september-11-first-responders/.

Howard Milstein dedicated 'The Kneeling Fireman' statue in front of the Emigrant Savings Bank building. The article highlights the importance and value the statue holds to Milstein and his foundation. The information provided in the reading is considered a second source, as it was written after the ceremony and September 11th 2001. The source has been up to date in 2021 and contains an easy reading level.

Kneeling Fireman, statue, Big Apple Secrets. Accessed January 31st 2021. http://www.bigapplesecrets.com/2016/02/kneeling-fireman-statue.html.

Big Apple Secrets provides a wide variety of information about The Kneeling Fireman statue. The source mentions the original plan for the statue. Originally, the stature was dedicated to the Missouri fireman Association but was later donated to the city of New York in honor of the attack on the Twin Towers. It is a commercial site rather than an educational site. The impression I had from the title was that it would go more into detail about the secrets of the statue. I accessed this resource through Google.com. The search terms I used were Kneeling Fireman and New York City monuments.