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Staten Island's Keith Roma so loved his job as a
New York Fire Patrolman, he would show up at the stationhouse on
West Third Street in Greenwich Village the evening before his
shift started, carrying groceries for dinner.
He once stopped a young woman who was crying as she walked by
the stationhouse. When he found out she was upset over the
anniversary of her mother's death, Roma bought her a dozen pink
roses
"He was very, very personal," said Patrolman
Frank Tepedino. "You don't find a dry eye here."
When the call came in Sept. 11, Keith Roma, 27, phoned his father,
Arnie, and said: "Dad, you won't believe it, the World Trade
Center is going."
"I told him, 'Keith, I'll meet you there,'" said Arnie Roma, a
former Fire Patrolman and retired New York Police Department
officer who is now a registered nurse.
The son wound up in the lobby of Tower One, evacuating civilians.
The father was in the lobby of Tower Two when it collapsed. He
escaped through a hole in the wall on the Liberty Street side.
Keith Roma was standing beside Fire Patrol Sgt.
John Sheehan when Tower Two collapsed. Sheehan managed to get out;
Roma did not. He is the only Fire Patrol officer missing of the 18
who initially responded.
The New York Fire Patrol consists of 97 employees based at three
city stationhouses. Funded by companies that write fire insurance
policies, the fire patrol's mission is to respond to calls and
help salvage property. Once on site, the Fire Patrol is under the
command of the fire department.
"At that point, there was no salvage work to be done; it was all
life-saving work," Arnie Roma said.
At first, Keith Roma was not listed among those in the Fire
Department who were lost in the line of duty.
"The young man is a hero and his family is suffering a great
deal," said Dennis Rowe, president of the New York Board of Fire
Underwriters. "We want our member to be recognized."
Yesterday the Department confirmed that Keith Roma would be added
to the list. "Although Fire Patrol is not officially a part of the
Fire Department of New York, they are considered a part of our
family," an official statement read.
Keith is also survived by his mother, Rosemary, brother Kevin, 33,
sister Maureen, 32, and 7-year-old daughter, Samantha. Donations
may be sent in care of Keith Roma to the Uniformed Fire Patrolmen's
Association, 240 W. 30th St., New York, N.Y. 10001.
When the Roma family visited Fire Patrol 2 this week, they were
overwhelmed by the flowers and cards and the neighborhood. The
same young woman Keith had once comforted presented them with a
dozen pink roses
By Sandy Keenan
STAFF WRITER
Newsday
September 21, 2001 |
