Sixty-eight firefighters have been promoted, one of whom was Lt. Mike Galard, whose uncle, Battalion Chief Joseph Grzelak, was killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
“[Grzelak] is the main reason I decided to join the department in the first place. Even if he was alive, he would have made me take the test because he loved the job so much. He never had a bad thing to say about it,” Lt. Galard told the Staten Island Advance. “I’m excited to learn a new aspect of this job and play a different role. I’m sad to be leaving the firehouse that taught me everything, but I’m ready to start this new chapter.”
