FAIRFAX, Va. — Chief Bill Killen announced today the details about the special guests for the recognition ceremony that will be held during the general session at the IAFC Fire-Rescue International Conference on Friday morning, September 15.
“We are extremely honored to welcome these special guests from FDNY, the Pentagon and Shanksville to participate in this ceremony. For what we believe will be the first time in the nation, key representatives from all three 9/11 events will come together at Fire- Rescue International in Dallas,” stated Chief Killen. “This will be a unique opportunity for the attendees, and the IAFC is proud and honored to be able to host this recognition ceremony.”
Among the honored guests attending are:
- Mrs. Kathleen Ganci, the widow of Chief of Department Peter Ganci (FDNY)
- FF Peter Ganci and FF Chris Ganci (sons of Chief Ganci and FDNY firefighters)
- Mrs. Elizabeth Burns, the widow of Chief of Operations Donald Burns (FDNY)
- Former Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen (FDNY)
- Former Deputy Fire Commissioner Thomas Fitzpatrick (FDNY)
- Fire Chief Ed Plaugher (Ret.), Arlington County Fire Department (VA)
- Fire Chief Jim Schwartz, Arlington County Fire Department (VA)
- Supervisory Special Agent Chris Combs, Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Mr. John Jester, retired director of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency
- Ed Mann, Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner
- Fire Chief Terry Shaffer, Shanksville Fire Department (PA)
This is an important opportunity for the fire service to come together and pay tribute to the many firefighter and civilian lives that were lost on that tragic day, as well as to honor those who helped work to save lives and participate in the tremendous recovery efforts in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
IAFC President Chief Bill Killen stated that, “I want to extend this invitation to all those in the fire, EMS and public safety communities to come to this special recognition ceremony. Tell others and spread the word to come and honor our invited guests as we remember and recognize those who were lost and the many lives that were saved on that tragic day.”
IAFC requests that all attendees bring a patch from your department. These patches will be placed on special display boards in the convention center. Please also bring your business cards with you and deposit one into the appropriate containers; IAFC will be honored to list all attendee names on our web site as a special thank you for participating in this special event.
For media inquiries, please contact IAFC Director of Communications Jennifer Ashley at 703/537-7820 or 571/221-5268.