Climbing the Ranks with FDNY Battalion Chiefs Michele Fitzsimmons and Rochelle “Rocky” Jones (Retired)

As we mark the 25th anniversary of September 11, the FDNY carries both profound pain and enduring pride. We remember the 343 members who were killed that day, those we have since lost to World Trade Center-related illnesses, and the families whose lives were forever changed.

On the morning of February 18, 2025, FDNY EMS units responded to a report of a barricaded suspect incident inside a Manhattan NYCHA apartment that rapidly escalated into a high-risk, multi-patient operation. BLS and ALS units responded to this active and evolving scene. As operations progressed, EMS units were moved from staging to inside the building, ultimately advancing to the upper floors in close proximity to the threat when multiple gunshots were fired without warning. In this episode of the FDNY Pro Podcast, host Captain Randy Li is joined by Captain Alexander Khalef, and the Rescue Paramedics Paul Yoon and Jose Parra, who responded to this incident and treated those on scene, including a downed officer and the suspect. For their courage, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to duty, they were recognized with the Tracy Allen Lee Medal at the 2026 FDNY Medal Day Ceremony in June.

On the evening of June 22, 2025, FDNY members operated at Bronx Fifth Alarm Box 3360 for a rapidly advancing fire in a two-and-a-half-story private dwelling. As units arrived, heavy fire was consuming multiple e-bikes on the front porch and extending up the front of the building, threatening both exposures.

On Sunday, June 17, 2001—Father’s Day—FDNY members in Queens responded to a telephone alarm reporting a fire in a hardware store at 12-20 Astoria Boulevard. What initially appeared to be a routine cellar fire in a small, two-story commercial occupancy quickly escalated into one of the most tragic fires in FDNY history. At approximately 1447 hours, a powerful explosion tore through the building. The large bearing wall and portions of the roof on the 14th Street side of the building sustained a total collapse, and portions of the front wall collapsed as well. Firefighter Harry Ford of Rescue Company 4 and Firefighter John Downing of Ladder Company 163 were buried in the collapse, and Firefighter Brian Fahey of Rescue Company 4 fell through an opening into the cellar and became trapped beneath heavy debris. FDNY members mounted an historic rescue effort to remove the three trapped firefighters. But tragically, all three succumbed to their injuries.

On a warm summer’s day a new class of fire lieutenants was attending the FDNY’s First Line Supervisors Training program or FLSTP at the Fire Academy on Randall's Island. Members were in the midst of a live burn drill, rotating through the riding positions, when Lieutenant Kevin Travis began to feel progressively unwell. He removed himself from the building and collapsed outside. Immediately a CODE RED was transmitted, which let everyone on scene know that this emergency transmission wasn’t part of the drill. In this episode, host Captain Randy Li, discusses how seconds count when someone is in cardiac arrest, and how lifesaving treatment was administered to Lieutenant Travis immediately by those on scene with guests Lieutenants Kevin Travis (retired) and Stephen McGowan, and Paramedics Nyla Page and Veronica Cruz.