Retired FDNY Commissioner Featured as Special Guest Reader

Salvatore “Sal” Cassano, retired fire commissioner of the New York City Fire Department, will return to the World Trade Center site on Saturday June 20, 2015 as a special guest for the 9/11 Memorial Museum’s Stories & Art program.

On Sept. 11, 2001, then a commander, Cassano responded to the World Trade Center and survived the collapse of the North Tower by taking shelter under a fire rig parked nearby. He then spent the next few months participating in the rescue and recovery effort. Cassano held every rank in the FDNY before retiring in 2014.

As part of the Stories & Art program, Cassano will speak to children and their guardians about his work since 9/11, helping other communities affected by disasters, such as New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina, and the importance of paying forward the goodwill shown to New York.

“We would have never gotten through this incident, the way we did, without the help of so many different people. . . So, some good has come out of this terrible incident,” Cassano recently said. 

Cassano will read Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey by Maira Kalman, a children’s book that tells the true story of an old NYC fireboat and its capacity to act heroically once again on the day New Yorkers needed it most of all.

Following the story, children will have the opportunity to participate in a related art activity. Participating families will receive a signed copy of the book.

The Stories & Art program is designed for children ages five to 10 and their caregivers visiting the Museum. The program is free and is offered on select Fridays and Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Space is limited and reservations are recommended. 

By Jenny Pachucki, Content Strategist