FDNY Appreciation Day at the USS IntrepidFDNY Insider 7/20/09
The John D. McKean of Marine Company 1 wows the crowd with a water display
during
FDNY Appreciation Weekend at the USS
Intrepid. Hundreds of FDNY members and their families gathered at Manhattan’s Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum on July 18 and 19 for FDNY Appreciation Weekend. The weekend included the annual Blessing of the Marine Fleet, a Battle of the Boroughs Cook Off, tours of the apparatus, as well as demonstrations of the life-saving techniques FDNY members perform each day, including CPR, vehicle extrications and tower-ladder rescues. 8th Annual Blessing of the Marine Fleet The FDNY’s seven fireboats processed past the USS Intrepid during the 8th Annual Blessing of the Marine Fleet on July 18. From the flight deck of the aircraft carrier, some six-stories above the water’s surface, FDNY Chaplains Monsignor John Delendick and Reverend Stephen Harding blessed the vessels as the crews saluted. The ceremony ended with a water display on the Hudson River. “Members of the FDNY’s Marine Division serve with bravery, honor and dedication,” said Chief of Department Salvatore Cassano, who said members rescued someone from a kayak just before the ceremony began. “And I can’t imagine a better place to bless the fleet of the FDNY than from the flight deck of the USS Intrepid.” He noted that just yards away, members of the Marine Division helped rescue the victims of US Airways Flight 1549 in January – known to many as the Miracle on the Hudson. They also responded to the fire on the Throgs Neck Bridge on July 10. In 2008 the Marine Unit was called to more than 1,400 emergencies. It is charged with protecting New York City’s 560 miles of waterfront, as well as its millions of residents and visitors. Battle of the Boroughs Cook Off Seven teams battled to be named the best of the FDNY cooks during the Battle of the Boroughs Cook Off on July 19. Teams of fire and EMS members from the five boroughs prepared an appetizer and main course on a grill for a five judges – Michael Proietti from the reality competition the Next Food Network Star; Michael Hallahan, President of the Former Crew Members’ Association; FF Keith Young from Ladder 158; FF Danny Prince from Ladder 156; and FF Fred Ancona from Ladder 132. The appetizers included grilled vegetable quesadillas, barbequed shrimp and chicken kabobs and grilled cheese with tomato. Main dishes ranged from barb seared skirt steak with garlic and tossed summer greens to Stop, Drop and Roll chicken. The judges asked the cooks questions as they presented their dishes and took notes in between bites, saying the competition was tough. First place went to the team from Engine 7/Ladder 1 in Manhattan, second place to Engine 95/Ladder 36 in Manhattan and third to Engine 157/Ladder 80 on Staten Island. Winning teams took home cooking tools donated by the Food Network and cooking stations provided by Anheuser Busch. All teams got to keep the grills from Weber.
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