RAY YORK E-285 MEMORIAL HOUSE TEE

RAY YORK E-285/L-142 20TH ANNIVERSARY MEMORIAL T-SHIRT

On September 11th, 2001, FDNY Fire Zone lost a member assigned to Engine 285. He was detailed to this location while he was awaiting his retirement. When the planes struck the towers that day Raymond York had left the Fire Zone and hopped into a delivery truck to rush down to the World Trade Center. Raymond York paid the ultimate sacrifice that day along with the other 343 members. While Raymond York was assigned to the Fire Zone he was known for a speech he would give to the children explaining how the fire department worked. We have made up a shirt in Ray’s memory with that speech on the back of it as well as a kayak on the front which was one of his passions. 

His daily speech to the children (inscription on the back of the t-shirt):

“Ya know, being a firefighter is kinda like being a baseball player. Every player on the team has their own position right? Ya got a pitcher, a catcher, third base, right?
You guys Yankee fans? Ok, so we got Jeter, Knoblauch, Posada and all those guys. So if each of those guys plays his position good, then the team can win. Well, it’s the same in the fire department. We have a team too. Everybody who goes to the fire has their own position…
Some guy is over here with the hose pointing it at the fire, and he’s got a brother behind him pushing on his back so he doesn’t fall over. Ya got a guy over here who drives the engine and then works the pumper panel over here, and some other guys are inside maybe looking for people or whatever. And we’re not trying to get more runs to win right. We win when we can save property, or even better, save somebody’s life. So each firefighter has to play his position really good, and if they do, that’s when we can win the game.”
                                            —-Ray York