Mayor
Backs Plan to Hike Death Pay for FDNY Member Killed in Iraq
By Eyewitness News' Jeff Pegues
(New York -WABC, December 2, 2004) — Firefighter and FDNY
Sergeant Christian Engeldrum died in Iraq, killed by a car bomb
near Baghdad earlier this week. Now, Mayor Bloomberg is championing
a bill to allow Engeldrum to be classified as "killed in the
line of duty" as if he were fighting a fire. Eyewitness News
reporter Jeff Pegues has the story.
Today the push to grant full line of duty benefits to the family
of Chris Engeldrum picked up momentum, beginning with statements
by the mayor who called the fallen firefighter turned national guardsman
a hero.
Mayor
Michael Bloomberg, (R) New York City: "He paid the ultimate
price... he certainly deserves it."
Mayor
Bloomberg doesn't expect any roadblocks in getting others down at
city hall to buy into the idea. After all many are now well aware
of the commitment Engeldrum made to the city and its citizens, first
as a police officer then as a firefighter who helped save lives
on September 11th.
He
died serving his country in Iraq. The courageous national guardsman
was killed on Monday in a terrorist attack in the war zone. The
Uniformed Firefighter's Association believes he has earned full
line of duty benefits, even though he died overseas.
The
death benefits will come at a time when Chris Engeldrum's widow
is pregnant. Sources confirm that as Sharon Engeldrum mourns the
loss of her husband, she is 3 months pregnant with the couple's
third child.
City
Council Speaker Gifford Miller tells me he hopes full line of duty
benefits conveys to Chris Engeldrum's growing family the feelings
of a grateful city.
Gifford
Miller: "Hopefully it's a small gesture that will be meaningful
in life of that little child."
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