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At a ceremony today, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta paid tribute to Robert Beddia -- the Staten Island fireman who was killed in the Deutsche Bank blaze -- and nine other members of the FDNY who have passed in the last year at the 100th Annual Memorial Service at the Firefighters Monument in Riverside Park.
Beddia, 53, of South Beach, and Brooklyn's Joseph Graffagnino were both killed in the fire, the cause of which is still under scrutiny from several agencies.
Daniel Pujdak, who died when he fell off the roof of a four-story building while fighting an all-hands blaze in Brooklyn, was also honored.
Bloomberg and Scoppetta presented the families of each fallen firefighter with a Fire Department flag and the Fire Department Medal of Valor. A Medal of Supreme Sacrifice from the Uniformed Fire Officers Association and Uniformed Firefighters Association also was presented to each family.
"There is never an easy way to express the love and admiration we have for our Bravest. This day of remembrance is just one way to show you that we will never forget," Bloomberg said. "We will always keep the sacrifice of your loved ones in our hearts and minds. The days and months have passed, but the pain of their loss has not subsided. Nor will it ever."
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