Firefighter
Michael Montesi
Rescue
1
Laid to Rest
on
October 9, 2001
Meant to Be a Firefighter
Michael G. Montesi was a hero on two fronts,
for 13 years with the Fire Department, and for 39 with his family. As a member
of Rescue Company 1 in Manhattan, he pondered the issues the unit faced and
came up with solutions, said a colleague, Thor A. Johannessen, like a small
air pack that could be strapped onto a trapped person's face, providing fresh
air in smoky or poisonous conditions. They still carry those packs in the
Rescue 1 truck. At age 5 he owned a fire helmet, and he waited years for
the call from the Fire Department that sent him to a ladder company in 1988,
said his sister, Maria Lauria. "It was in his blood," she said. It was as
a firefighter that he met his wife, Nancy, when she and a friend stopped
by a firehouse to ask for directions to the George Washington Bridge. They
had Matthew, Ian and Ryan, now 7, 5 and 3, who adored him and would follow
him around the yard, everyone carrying a weed whacker. "This is what it's
all about," he would say. The two older children were learning to play hockey,
a sport he loved (he was a goalie), and he was their assistant coach. "You
could depend on him," Mrs. Montesi said. He was going to leave work early
on Sept. 11; the boys had a game, and he promised them that he would be there.
Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on March 17, 2002.
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