FDNY Renames Top Honor After LI Chief Who Died On Sept. 11

MASSAPEQUA, NY — The Fire Department of New York announced that it would be renaming its highest honor after Peter J. Ganci, Jr., the chief of the department from Massapequa who died in the Twin Towers on Sept. 11.

The award — the James Gordon Bennett Medal — was established in 1869, and is awarded to New York City firefighters for extreme acts of valor. There have been 152 people awarded the medal in its history. It is officially being changed to the Chief of Department Peter J. Ganci, Jr. Medal

The FDNY said it decided to change the medal because its namesake held "deeply racist" views, which he routinely touted in the newspaper he ran. It was originally established by James Gordon Bennett to honor firefighters who saved his home.

“This change is not meant to erase history, and it does not discredit the actions, memory, or valor of the 152 members of our department who have been awarded this medal since its inception," said FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro. "Instead, this important change is meant to help us create a better present and future for our FDNY, one we can all be proud of."

According to Nigro, Bennett used his newspaper to repeatedly express his views in full support of slavery. In addition, Bennett was never a firefighter.

“Our highest honor for bravery to a firefighter or fire officer should be named for an individual who swore an oath to serve others and who once crawled down a hallway like all our firefighters have done to search for New Yorkers trapped by fire," Nigro said. "It should be named for a legendary chief who is still revered by all of us so many years after his death."

Ganci served in the FDNY for 33 years before his death and held every uniformed rank in the department. During his career, he had received numerous citations for bravery, including a medal he received for risking his life to save a child from a fire in 1982. Ganci was the highest-ranking member of the FDNY to die on 9/11.

“This award for bravery should not be tied to someone who never served the FDNY, risked his life to save others, and who advocated for hate and slavery," Nigro said. "That award should be named for the chief who was leading our troops on our darkest day, a great man who gave his life overseeing the greatest rescue operation in FDNY history.”

The FDNY's Medal Day ceremony is usually held in June, but was delayed this year because of the coronavirus. The Chief of Department Peter J. Ganci, Jr. Medal will be awarded for the first time later this year.