ALBANY — The state Legislature yesterday awarded lifetime death benefits and health insurance to the family of Bronx firefighter Chris Engeldrum, who was killed in Iraq while serving in the Army Reserve.
Lawmakers quickly passed the bill at the urging of Mayor Bloomberg, who wanted it done to honor Engeldrum in time for his funeral tomorrow in The Bronx.
A firefighter since 1999 who helped rescue fellow New Yorkers on 9/11, Engeldrum, 39, was killed on Nov. 29 by a roadside bomb.
The legislation, passed unanimously after a formal City Council request, will give 100 percent of Engeldrum's salary to his pregnant widow, Sharon, for the rest of her life.
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