Two new FDNY firefighters follow in footsteps of their 9/11 hero dads

Two probationary FDNY firefighters with deep connections to 9/11 plan to cull some light from their darkest memories by following their fathers’ examples and dedicating their lives to protect New Yorkers, the Daily News has learned.

Among the 344 probationary firefighters graduating Thursday, newly minted Firefighters Ian Montesi and Francis Donohue know all about the meaning of sacrifice in service of one’s city.

Montesi’s father, Firefighter Michael Montesi, a member of Rescue 1, died as the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed during the 9/11 terror attack. Donohue’s dad, retired FDNY Lt. James Donohue, died from a 9/11-related illness in 2023.

“I can’t wait. It feels good to finally get through probie school,” Ian, 28, told the Daily News. “I’m excited to follow in my father’s footsteps and pursue the dream me and my two brothers have always had.”

New York Daily News Hero of the Month, FDNY Firefighter Mike Montesi of the Scuba Unit of Rescue Co. 1, is pictured on Aug. 26, 1999. (Susan Watts / New York Daily News)

Ian was four when his father died. He took the test to join the FDNY seven years ago, but thought his dream of becoming a New York City firefighter would never materialize.

“I thought I would never get that phone call,” he said about being selected for a probationary class. As he waited, he considered careers with Emergency Medical Services and State Troopers, but always had his sights set squarely on the FDNY.

“Once I got the call, I didn’t hesitate,” he said. “It felt great every morning to walk into the (FDNY Academy) knowing that my father did the same thing. It was a confidence boost to know that he did everything I was doing and did everything I went through.”

FDNY Firefighter Michael Montesi (right) is pictured during the award ceremonies for the New York Daily News Hero of the Month at the News' office on W. 33rd St. in Manhattan, New York, on Sept. 1, 1999. (Pat Carroll / New York Daily News)

Firefighter Michael Montesi was named a Daily News Hero of the Month in August 1999 for pulling a struggling man out of the Hudson River a month earlier.

Ian’s older brother, Matthew, is currently a U.S. Navy Seal, but plans to join the FDNY once his tour of duty is up. The youngest of the Montesi boys, Ryan, is hoping to get into the next FDNY probationary class.

Their father worked two jobs and was in the process of building the family home in Orange County, NY, when he died. Montesi’s widow, Nancy, with the help of her family and extended FDNY family, finished the family home, where everyone still resides to this day, Ian said.

“My dad was a very hard-working guy and he lived and breathed the Fire Department,” his son said. “He was an amazing father and would do anything for his family and friends.”

FDNY Firefighter Michael Montesi (left) from Rescue 1 with his wife, Nancy, and his three children, Ryan, 1, (green shirt), Ian, 3, (white shirt) and Matthew, 4, as Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen hands the New York Daily News Hero of the Month certificates to Matthew during the award ceremonies at the News' office on W. 33rd St. in Manhattan, New York, on Sept. 1, 1999. (Pat Carroll / New York Daily News)

After their father died, Ian and his brothers would routinely visit Rescue 1 and were raised in the FDNY. Despite the hardships she faced with the death of her husband, Nancy never tried to warn Ian against becoming a firefighter.

“She 100% encouraged me to do this job,” he remembered. “She would call me stupid for not taking it.”

Out of the 344 probationary firefighters graduating Thursday, 26 are military veterans and eight are women, officials said.

FDNY Firefighter Michael Montesi (center) from Rescue 1 is pictured with his children, Ian, 3, (white shirt) and Matthew, 4, at the award ceremonies for the New York Daily News Hero of the Month at the News' office on W. 33rd St. in Manhattan, New York, on Sept. 1, 1999. (Pat Carroll / New York Daily News)

Firefighter Francis Donohue took a different route to the FDNY. After applying around the same time as Ian, he did get the call. He had even been given his bunker gear before he was told that, sadly, the class was at capacity and he didn’t make the cut.

“It was a pretty rough email,” Donohue, also 28, remembered.

But he still wanted to serve the FDNY and was an EMS emergency medical technician until he got called to join this year’s class.

Donohue was in the EMS Academy when his father, who retired from the department in 2010, died from a 9/11 illness in 2023. His entire EMS Academy class attended the funeral.

“Whenever I talked to him, he had nothing but good things about the department,” Francis said of his dad. “He was the type of guy who would say he never worked a day in his life.”

Lt. James Donohue is pictured on a ladder truck while fighting a fire in an undated photo. (FDNY)

Although he never pressured his son, Lt. Donohue, who responded to 9/11 and afterward spent weeks assisting in rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero, was very proud to see his son taking the journey he so enjoyed.

“He was extremely happy (about my decision),” the young firefighter said. “Even when I was in EMS, he was always happy to see me in uniform. To make it to this point would have made him very proud.”

Although he already had a foot in the door with his EMS training, the FDNY Academy was a “brand new experience for me,” he said. But his family, and Lt. Donohue’s friends and colleagues — including many who he met at the academy — kept him motivated.

On Thursday, Donohue’s family and his father’s friends and colleagues will all be in attendance to watch him graduate.

“It should be a big group,” the Bayside, Queens, resident joked.

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