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by TOM WROBLESKI
About 10 Staten Island firefighters, including members of Rescue Co. 5 in Concord, joined President George Bush, along with Rep. Vito Fossella in Queens last night, as Bush was endorsed by the Uniformed Firefighters Association.
Firefighters chanted "four more years" as Bush and first lady Laura Bush arrived at the Italian Charities of America Club.
Bush embraced the firefighters and said the endorsement, nearly three years after he visited the World Trade Center rubble, was especially meaningful "because the truth of the matter is, the inspiration I received from the firefighters on that site is something I'll never forget."
"President Bush was there at Ground Zero," Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) told the Advance later. "Not just for firefighters. For all Americans."
Bush's eyes misted as he stood among the firefighters, holding a black fire helmet that said, "Commander in Chief."
The Fire Department lost 343 members on Sept. 11, 2001, including 78 who lived on the Island. Eleven members of Rescue 5 perished.
"I'm a proud member of the UFA today because of this endorsement," said Dongan Hills resident Joe Esposito, of Rescue 5, whose brother and cousin, both firefighters, were lost at Ground Zero. "I'm glad to say they made the right choice."
"The reason we're supporting President Bush is leadership," said UFA president Steve Cassidy. "Post-9/11 we needed someone who had the courage and the integrity to do what was right for this country. The president said he would take the fight to the terrorists, and he has done that."
Video of Bush accepting the endorsement was shown in the Madison Square Garden convention hall. The UFA represents around 20,000 active and retired city firefighters.
Larry Sullivan, Rescue 5's UFA delegate, said most rank-and-file firefighters support Bush, even though the union's parent organization, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the union representing FDNY lieutenants, captains and other officers have endorsed Democratic Sen. John Kerry.
Sullivan claimed his members were never surveyed about the choice.
"Bush is the right man at the right time," said Sullivan, a Grant City resident. "Terrorism is on our minds every day. We are the first people out there responding."
Bush shared a dinner of pizza and soft drinks with the firefighters, and the Islanders gave him a Rescue 5 shirt with the president's name on it.
"He's such a comfortable person to be around," said New Brighton resident Capt. Bill Burke, the Rescue 5 commander. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."
The firefighters' union is locked in a bitter contract dispute with Mayor Michael Bloomberg; it sent Bush a letter last month asking him to intercede.
IAFF spokesman Jeff Zack said, "George Bush likes to talk about supporting firefighters, but his policies haven't done that, while John Kerry has a 20-year record of support for firefighters."
Zack noted that Bush has consistently opposed legislation to expand funding for fire departments and increase the number of firefighters nationwide, while Kerry has supported or sponsored many of the proposals.
ASSOCIATED PRESS material was used in this report.
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