William M. Feehan (1929 – September 11, 2001) was a member of the Fire Department of New York who died during the collapse of the World Trade Center. Feehan held every rank within the department, starting with Probationary Firefighter upon his appointment on October 10, 1959.[1] He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1964 and eventually to Chief of Department in 1991. In 1992, he was appointed Deputy Fire Commissioner. Upon the resignation of Fire Commissioner Carlos M. Rivera, he briefly served as Acting Fire Commissioner through the end of Mayor David N. Dinkins administration from August 31, 1993 until December 31, 1993.
After incoming Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani picked Howard Safir to become Fire Commissioner of the City of New York, Feehan returned to his previous title of First Deputy Fire Commissioner of the City of New York and served in that position until his death in the line of duty during the collapse of the South Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.[2]
Feehan graduated from Saint John's University in 1952. Before his appointment to the FDNY, he served in the United States Army in Korea during the Korean War, during which he was decorated with the Combat Infantry Badge, Korean Service Medal, UN Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal.[3]
Feehan is survived by his daughters, Elizabeth Feehan and Tara Davan, and sons, William Feehan and firefighter John Feehan, who is assigned to Squad Company 1 Additionally, he is survived by six grandchildren.[3]
At the National 9/11 Memorial, Feehan is memorialized at the South Pool, on Panel S-18.[4]
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:William_M._Feehan William M. Feehan] at Wikimedia Commons
Fire appointments | ||
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Preceded by Carlos M. Rivera |
FDNY Commissioner 1993 |
Succeeded by Howard Safir |