Honorees

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Year Honored
2014
Honoree
Francis Charles
Title
EMT-D
Agency
Fire Department of New York - Bureau of EMS
Agency City
Brooklyn
Agency State
New York
Last Call
8/27/2013
Cause of Death
9/11 Illness
Biography
Mr. Charles came from Moyah, Grenada as a young man looking to make a better life for himself and his family. He arrived in New York City with his wife, Molly, and together they quickly adapted to life in their new adoptive city -- a city Francis would soon come to serve. Francis joined New York City Emergency Medical Service in January 1986 as an EMT. He was assigned to EMS Station 33, which later became FDNY EMS Station 58 in Brooklyn, where he served for his entire career. Mr. Charles worked some of the most dangerous streets in Brooklyn and knew all too well the dangers of the work he did. He also knew that there was nothing more rewarding than helping others. Francis was well respected by his peers, not only for being a good EMT, but also for the true caring, compassion, and dedication he had for others both on and off the job. His coworkers and his superiors lovingly called him Mr. Charles. He had a fatherly trait and showed all he encountered that he truly cared for them. He was active in his community where he lived. He was a religious man who was also known as "Elder Charles" in his congregation at the Emmaus Church. On September 11, 2001, and for many weeks thereafter, Mr. Charles worked at the World Trade Center in an effort to rescue and later recover the bodies of the victims and his coworkers who perished in the attack. Like many workers at Ground Zero, he would become ill from the toxins he was unknowingly exposed to on a daily basis. Francis succumbed to his illness on August 27, 2013 and was laid to rest in his home country of Grenada.