though he was retired, former Fire Department of New York Battalion 1 Chief Larry Byrnes of Hampton Bays immediately jumped in his car and rushed into lower Manhattan after learning about the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.As soon as he stepped foot inside his old station—FDNY Engine 7, Ladder 1, Battalion 1 on Duane Street—Chief Byrnes quickly took charge and assisted his colleagues in rescuing victims of the attacks who were trapped under the debris of the collapsed World Trade Center.Though he and his fellow firefighters helped save an unknown number of people that day, Chief Byrnes never considered himself a hero because he always viewed saving lives as his job, according to his relatives.
“He always said, ‘Firefighters never retire, they just go away for a little while,’” his daughter, Tara Byrnes of Hampton Bays, recalled this week.
The ex-chief would eventually pay the ultimate price for his volunteer work that day in 2001, developing lung and bladder cancer—both of which his family says he contracted from breathing in the thick clouds of black smoke that blotted out the sun in lower Manhattan in the immediate days after the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, including 343 firefighters.
Chief Byrnes died on June 14, 2015, at the age of 79.
His daughter said she will always remember her father as a hero, but wanted to do something special to honor his memory. After giving it some thought, Ms. Byrnes penned a letter to the Southampton Town supervisor’s office, asking that Columbine Avenue North—the street on which he had lived for decades—to be renamed after her father.
Her wish was granted.
“I feel whole, if you will, that he is recognized,” Ms. Byrnes said. “My father was a very humble man and I could never achieve in my lifetime one fifth of what he achieved in his life …
“If this is all I can do to honor my father, this is nothing,” she continued. “He was my hero.”
An official ceremony celebrating the renaming of Columbine Avenue North as “FDNY BC Larry Byrnes Way” will be held this Saturday, June 11, at 10:30 a.m. The Southampton Town Board approved the name change in May.
Columbine Avenue North has been an important street for the Byrnes family for decades. Chief Byrnes was one of the contractors who built his house on the block in 1964, according to his daughter. Growing up, Ms. Byrnes said, she and her five siblings spent every summer, and most weekends, at the house. They split their time between Hampton Bays and Valley Stream, their primary home because her father needed to be closer to the city when he was still working for the FDNY. Chief Byrnes’s wife, Anna, died in 2008.
Chief Byrnes loved spending time at his Hampton Bays house due to its accessibility to the water, according to his daughter. In fact, Ms. Byrnes and one of her sisters, Patricia, still live in different houses on the same street.
Joseph Sinclair of Hampton Bays, a longtime friend of Chief Byrnes and another retired FDNY member, this week recalled waking up early most mornings so the two could go fishing off the old Ponquogue Bridge. The two met while in the Navy; Chief Byrnes served in the Navy reserves for 44 years. After fishing, Mr. Sinclair said, they would always grab breakfast at the now closed Hampton Bays Diner.
“He loved to go fishing,” added Chester Carter, who was also in the Navy reserves with Chief Byrnes, of his friend.
The Queens resident said he always enjoyed driving out to Hampton Bays to go fishing with his friend, whether they dipped their lines in Shinnecock Bay or the Atlantic Ocean. “We always caught something,” Mr. Carter said. “Sometimes it took longer than others, but we always caught something.”
Chief Byrnes is also remembered for having a natural ability to make people laugh, with survivors noting that he was always cracking jokes.
“He was always a joker,” said Bobby Cummings, Tara Byrnes’s husband. “He always tried to get a rise out of you.”
Even though his father-in-law was quick to make people laugh, Mr. Cummings noted that Chief Byrnes always had the respect of his fellow firefighters throughout his 42-year career.
“He was very well respected by his men,” Mr. Cummings said. “He was one of those guys who would tell you how it is. He would say, ‘If you listen to me, you will be safe.’ People under his command said they felt comfortable under his command.”
Steven Olsen of Patchogue, another retired FDNY firefighter who worked under Chief Byrnes, said that he always felt safe when responding to alarms and emergencies. “He was a great leader,” Mr. Olsen said.
He also recalled how he was caught off-guard when he ran into Chief Byrnes at the firehouse on September 11, 2001, since he had retired. “I was so surprised to see him there … ” Mr. Olsen recalled. “He stepped right up and helped out and got things going again.”
He noted that because Chief Byrnes was familiar with the area and the outfit, he had no trouble stepping up and delegating responsibilities during the chaos that immediately followed the attacks. In fact, friends and family say his actions that day inspired the documentary “9/11” that aired for the first time on CBS in 2002. The documentary tells the story from the perspective of firefighters at FDNY Engine 7, Ladder 1, Battalion 1—Chief Byrnes’s old station.
Citing Chief Byrnes’s heroism, both as an active chief and while in retirement, those who knew him the best said renaming a street in his hometown is a fitting tribute.
“There’s no other person who deserves it more,” Mr. Olsen said. “He was such a great leader and always advocated for fire safety.