Ex-Bravest is van-tastic
Ground Zero hero aids ailing firefighters
THESE ARE the wheels beneath his wings.
Retired Firefighter Jimmy Martinez emerged Thursday as a guardian angel for his FDNY colleagues, donating a 10-seat transport van to ferry ailing smoke-eaters back and forth from treatment.
“As firefighters continue to get sick, this vehicle will become more important every day,” Martinez said at his old Staten Island firehouse, Engine 157/Ladder 80.
Martinez, who spent time in the Ground Zero recovery effort after 9/11, was diagnosed in June 2013 with cancer. His fight to survive inspired his gift to the FDNY Fire Family Transport Foundation.
“I know firsthand the difference this van will make,” he added. “I’m still here thanks to my faith, a stem cell donor, help from family and friends — which includes my brothers from my firehouse.”
His disease is in remission after the stem cell transplant, but Martinez remembers endless trips for medical care before finally getting good news.
“I had a lot on my plate,” he recalled. “Fortunately, I didn’t have to worry about transportation and parking. There were times when I needed to make four trips a week for treatment.”
The FDNY’s total of firefighters killed by 9/11 ailments hit 144 last year, with the number expected to grow in the coming years as ailments linked to Ground Zero toxins claim more victims.
Martinez was joined by his family: wife Maria, his FDNY firefighter son Jimmy, 31, and daughters Alyssa, 25, and Eileen, 37.
“He said he wants to pay it forward,” said his wife. “I said, ‘Go for it. Do it.’ I’m so proud of him.”
Young Jimmy, stationed at Ladder 113 in Brooklyn, said the family supported their patriarch when he suggested using his own money to purchase the van.
FDNY Chief of Department James Leonard said Martinez was like a force of nature, indomitable and ever-present.
“He’s there on 9/11,” Leonard said admiringly. “He’s there in Brooklyn. He’s there in Hurricane Sandy. In my mind, it’s just unbelievable.”
FDNY Chaplain Msgr. John Delendick was surprised and happy to learn the transport was dedicated to a living firefighter, rather than someone killed in the line of duty.
“This is a first for me,” he said. “I asked, ‘How did Jimmy die?’ They told me, ‘That’s him standing over there.’ Bless Jimmy for being here today.”
Michael Moog, of the FDNY transport foundation, said vans like the one donated by Martinez are always put to good use. The foundation has about 30 similar vehicles.
“We have many sick people,” said Moog. “There is no end in sight.”