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Crime & Safety

Miller Place Firefighters Take Part in Tunnel to Towers Run

Firefighters participate in annual run honoring 9/11 heroes.

They say they connected with other volunteer and paid first responders, firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians and police officers, all with the same goal--to run through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel the way FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller did on 9/11.

Long Island volunteer firefighters Peter Matura and Robert Bruccoleri from the Miller Place Fire Department (MPFD) ran for Siller’s cause, a Squad 1, Park Slope, Brooklyn firefighter who was just relieved of his shift shortly before the attacks on 9/11, during the annual Tunnel to Towers run on Sept. 24.

Upon learning of the horrific events in downtown Manhattan, Siller returned to work, grabbed his gear and made it to the tunnel, closed to traffic. Siller secured his gear on his back and ran through the tunnel to meet with his company, never to return back on the other side. He is a hero, among the many who lost their lives that day.

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“To run through the tunnel and make it to ground zero, not just with the fire service personnel but everyone else who ran in the race, like Stephen Siller did that day, made me feel good,” Bruccoleri said.  “It was my first time running in the race, but when I arrived in Brooklyn that morning I saw how big it had grown over the past few years, and what it’s turned into since 9/11..”    

Matura and Bruccoleri personally ran in honor of MPFD member and FDNY Rescue 2 Lieutenant Peter C. Martin who lost his life on 9/11, Captain Patrick J. “Paddy” Brown of FDNY Ladder Company 3, and the fallen heroes of FDNY Squad 252.  

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Matura found Siller’s story of his journey to the World Trade Center moving, and motivating.  He was inspired to “Follow the Footsteps,” a catch phrase of the event. 

“Although these types of events are used to honor and serve as memorials for all the lives lost on 9/11, this particular event obviously has strong undertones of honoring those lost from the Fire Department of the City of New York," Matura said. This event, even with everything going on in the world and however bad things may look some days, lets you know good really does still exist in this world, and the people who wish to see it done.” 

Both firefighters, Matura and Bruccoleri encourage everyone, not just fire department personnel to attend the next event.  According to tunneltotowersrun.org, next year's race is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 30 at 9:30 a.m.

“The best part about this event was to look all around you during the 1.7 miles in the tunnel itself and see from wall to wall and as far as you can see from end to end, just a sea of people, a sea of humanity, all running and walking together," Matura said. "There really is no better feeling and sense of pride than people chanting ‘USA, USA!.’”

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