Funeral held for former FDNY deputy chief who died from 9/11-related illness
Riches, a retired 30-year veteran of the department, died last week from a 9/11-related illness.
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It was a final farewell to former FDNY Deputy Chief James “Jim” Riches, as hundreds gathered on Monday for a funeral at St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church in Bay Ridge.
Riches, a retired 30-year veteran of the department, died last week from a 9/11-related illness.
Former FDNY Commissioner Salvatore Cassano said he had known Riches for almost 50 years.
“Jimmy was a special kind of person,” said Cassano. “[He was a] great athlete, great firefighter, great father.”
Riches was a father of four children - all of whom joined the FDNY - including his eldest son, Jim Jr., who died on 9/11.
Riches found his son’s remains at ground zero months after the Sept. 11 attacks.
“Jimmy was one of the, we called them, ‘Fathers at the World Trade Center;’ a group of fathers that were looking for their sons,” said Cassano. “They were our inspiration. They made us work harder.”
The FDNY lost 343 firefighters on Sept. 11, 2001; and since then, they’ve lost more than 400 firefighters due to 9/11-related illnesses.
“Jimmy was one of our advocates,” said Cassano. “Jimmy went to Washington [D.C.] many times for us. He fought for benefits for the families of the people that were killed and for us that are still living.”
Jim Brosi, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, said the fight is still taking a toll on the FDNY.
“We’re still struggling to get permanent funding,” said Brosi. “We’re still registering over 10,000 people a year with new illnesses. There are still new rare diseases that are popping with 9/11 responders and civilians who are down there; and unfortunately, the fight continues.”
Though Riches is gone, his advocacy is ongoing.
“It’s a stark reminder that we’re going to continue to do this,” said Cassano.
