NY Post-Firefighter who died from 9/11 illness honored by FDNY amid downpours, state of emergency
By
Jack Morphet and
Priscilla DeGregory
Published Sep. 29, 2023, 6:01 p.m. ET
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Firefighters showed up in force in Brooklyn Friday – amid a downpour and state of emergency due to flooding – to salute a fallen comrade who paid the ultimate price for responding to 9/11.
A funeral was held for retired firefighter Robert Fulco of Engine 250 after he passed away Sept. 23 of pulmonary fibrosis related to his time working in rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero. He was 73.
His death was the 343rd of former members who’ve died since Sept. 11, 2001 — the same number of firefighters who perished that infamous day.
“Every loss of one of our members with 9/11 illnesses is heartbreaking,” United Firefighters Association President Andrew Ansbro told The Post.
“There are still thousands of New York City firefighters that still have cancer related to the World Trade Center and we will continue to see these numbers climb with no end in sight,” Ansbro said. “There are approximately 30 to 40 members that past each year in recent years and the numbers have been growing.”
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Firefighters showed up in force in the pouring rain to honor fallen comrade Robert Fulco who died of 9/11 related illness last week.Stephen Yang
Fulco’s casket, draped with an American flag, was carried to Saints Simon and Jude church in Gravesend aboard a firetruck from his beloved former engine company as uniformed members of the FDNY lined the street in a dangerously drenching rain that triggered a state of emergency around the city.
Bagpipes played Amazing Grace during the procession, while nearly 200 people stood in silence outside during the deluge.
Top brass — including Chief of Department John Hodgens, First Deputy Commissioner Joseph Pfeifer and Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh — along with Fulco’s family were among those at the service.
Fulco — a dad of two daughters and grandfather of two — started with the department in 1977 and worked his entire career in Engine 250 until his 2002 retirement.
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Fulco’s casket was brought in by his former Engine’s firetruck.Stephen Yang
His daughter Kristine Fulco sobbed as she spoke to the packed church of roughly 100 supporters, and gave her farewell.
“Daddy we all love you,” she said through tears. “And you will be sorely missed.”
“You deserve the biggest send-off for all the goodness you’ve brung into this world,” she continued. “Treasured in our hearts you will stay until we meet again someday. We love you daddy.”
Kristine said her dad’s final days came quickly and unexpectedly, explaining she had actually been planning just one week ago to write a speech for her parent’s 50th anniversary.
“How quickly things change,” she said.
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Fulco passed of pulmonary fibrosis related to his time working in the rescue effort at Ground Zero.
She also described a patient and kind man who rarely lost his cool — and never hesitated to help others.
Fulco pushed himself to keep living his life — despite relying on oxygen because he was ineligible for a lung replacement due to his age — and was determined “to will himself off the couch to see his grandson play [tee-ball] for the first time” two weeks ago, the daughter recounted.
“We didn’t even try to stop him because we knew how much it meant to him,” Kristine said.
After delivering the heartfelt eulogy, Kristine left the pulpit and pressed her hands to her lips and then onto Fulco’s casket.
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Linda Fulco, Robert’s wife, is presented with his service helmet.Stephen Yang
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Fulco’s family honored him at the funeral.Stephen Yang
Longtime friend and former Engine 250 firefighter Robert Ditrani — who worked with Fulco from 1997 until his retirement — described him as “a man of outstanding loyalty.”
“He was loyal to the New York Rangers — he had season tickets for years — he was loyal to the Knights of Columbus where he continued to practice his Catholic faith… and he was loyal to the FDNY where Bobby proudly served the citizens of New York for over 25 years,” Ditrani said.
After his retirement, Fulco still stopped by the firehouse for pastries and coffee on a weekly basis. In fact, he was so passionate about his longtime workplace that he was known as “Mr. 250,” Ditrani said.
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Firefighters lined the street as his casket was brought to the church.Stephen Yang
“Most of all, Bobby was extremely loyal and proud of his family, his wife Linda, daughters Lorianne and Kristine and his grandchildren James and Vincent,” Ditrani said.
The two grandchildren brought bread and wine to the altar for communion. A solo trumpet then played as the casket was led outside to be taken away on the same firetruck that carried it in.
The commissioner — who arrived toward the end because of the flooding emergency — presented the family with a letter of condolence and a firefighter’s helmet.
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Linda Fulco salutes as her husband’s casket departs the church after the funeral.Stephen Yang
There are over 11,000 FDNY members who responded to the terrorist attacks who are suffering from World Trade Center-related illnesses, including 3,500 with cancer, Kavanaugh previously said.
“So many of our members showed up for us that fateful day, and so many were lost,” Kavanagh said at the time of Fulco’s death.
“The legacy we create for them is one of honor, and one of promise. That is why we continue to advocate for the survivors, and we will not stop pushing until all our members have the care they deserve, for the rest of their lives.”
