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Families of the firefighters who died in last summer's fire at the former Deutsche Bank building held a demonstration at the Manhattan site this morning to call for construction site safety and reform throughout the city.
First responders, Lower Manhattan residents, and other firefighters, met for a rally at 130 Liberty Street, the site of the building, and then held a March for Safety from the site to City Hall.
Firefighters Joseph Graffagnino and Robert Beddia died battling the seven-alarm fire last August.
"It's very hard. It's very emotional," said Graffagnino's father, Joseph. "I'm hoping the others here give me the strength to get through this. It's not easy being here. I'm hoping that as we're going through this agony and this torture that the right people will listen and do the right thing."
Investigators later discovered a broken standpipe failed to deliver water to the upper floors, making it difficult to fight the flames. The building also had sealed staircases and incomplete building inspections.
The district attorney's office, the attorney general's office, and the FDNY are all conducting further investigations into the fire.
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