Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to City Hall. I want to acknowledge leaders throughout our administration that are standing here alongside me. We have our FDNY commissioner, Lillian Bonsignore; we have our FDNY chief of department, John Esposito; we have NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch; our NYCEM commissioner, Christina Farrell; our NYCEM first deputy commissioner, Ben Krakauer; our OTI commissioner, Lisa Gelobter; our DCAS commissioner, Yume Kitasei; we have our budget director, Sherif Soliman; we have our NYC chief service officer, Laura Rog; and our chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem.
One week from today, New York City will come together to remember the horrific act of terror that occurred in our city 25 years ago; the thousands that were stolen from us that day and in the years since; and the uncommon courage that countless New Yorkers showed in the aftermath. Over the past weeks, I've had the immense honor of meeting with construction workers who spent months clearing rubble and removing steel; teachers at schools like Stuyvesant near Ground Zero, whose students continue to contend with 9/11-related medical issues; and City workers who made enormous, unseen contributions. And I have visited firehouses where the names of those fallen still line the walls, where the sons entered a life of public service to pay homage to fathers who were killed on that day, and where eternal flames are never allowed to go out.
Twenty-five years may have passed, but for the families who still grieve someone who never came home, or who got sick from the toxic air in the years after, the grief remains fresh. The absence remains inescapable. The pain endures.
Every New Yorker knows the words "Never forget," and the meaning they carry. It is an obligation to remember those we lost, to live lives that aspire to their selflessness and compassion, and to build a city that they would be proud of. I am proud to be here today as we deepen that commitment by signing two executive orders that honor the sacrifice and the heroism of so many that day.
The first executive order establishes an annual day of remembrance and service on Sept. 11, this year and every year that follows.
On Sept. 11, 2001, we saw ordinary New Yorkers display an extraordinary level of courage. But most of all, we saw strangers who took the clothes off their back and gave them to New Yorkers who were injured and covered in dust; people who cooked meals or bought supplies and carried them down to the pile, just trying to help in any way that they could. We saw the lines to donate blood that went around the block; the people who lent their services, their tools, their time, their sweat and never sent a bill.
If 9/11 was the darkest day in our city's history, then the few glimpses of light came from New Yorkers doing everything they could to help. We will mark this day with the same service toward one another. While there are official observations at the federal and state levels, there is no similar designation here in New York City. That changes today. This executive order will coordinate an annual citywide day of service and remembrance to honor the victims, first responders, survivors, city workers and the families impacted by this tragedy. And it will encourage City agencies to observe the day with moments of silence, memorial ceremonies and other displays of remembrance.
I'm also proud to be signing a second executive order updating our city's operational continuity and agency preparedness policies.
September 11th was a day without any precedent, a day that demanded City agencies and first responders devise solutions to impossible challenges in the moment. And while our city has taken great steps to increase security measures and prevent any future terror threats, we know that as the greatest city in the world, we will always remain a target. The original continuity of operations policies are nearly 20 years old and in long need of an update.
This executive order will establish a new task force to coordinate decision-making across agencies and provide modern expertise and oversight. It will also modernize the City's existing continuity framework to ensure we are prepared to respond to the threats that our city faces today. This is a core part of our plan to protect and prepare for risks to come, and it will be led by the deputy mayor for Operations and supported by the commissioners of NYCEM, DCAS and OTI.
If these two executive orders hold a shared message, let it be this: When we say, "Never forget," we do not mean it in the abstract. It is a sacred vow to those we will always mourn, the heroes who ran toward horror so that others could run toward home and to every New Yorker who showed such immeasurable solidarity and courage 25 years ago.
Thank you. And with that, I will now bring up our FDNY commissioner, Lillian Bonsignore.
Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Good afternoon. September 11th remains a difficult, shared experience burned into the heart of New York City. But in our darkest hours 25 years ago, everyday New Yorkers came together, standing shoulder to shoulder in an extraordinary spirit of unity as one city of service.
For the FDNY, September 11 is a day that simply never ended. We remember the 343 members of our department killed that day and more than 600 additional members of the FDNY who have died since from 9/11-related illnesses. We remember all the brave first responders from other agencies who made the ultimate sacrifice. And we remember all of the incredible families who have lived with this unimaginable courage ever since. Twenty-five years later, it remains a time for solemn remembrance, but it must also be a call to action. Entire generations are growing up without a living memory of that sacrifice, and we must teach them through our history and our actions.
Thank you for initiating this effort, Mr. Mayor. By declaring this official day of remembrance, we take a huge step forward as a city. As we journey forward in time, we must continue our collective efforts to fully cement September 11th in our history and across our city. I ask every New Yorker to join us. Join us in this day of service. Donate your time. Help a neighbor. Tell a story of someone brave or take a quiet moment to reflect. Whatever you can do to bring back that spirit of community and connectedness we felt 25 years ago, please do it.
As we promised so long ago, we will never, never forget. Thank you for this day, sir. Please welcome our NYPD commissioner, Jessica Tisch.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch: Good afternoon. Next week, New York City will mark 25 years since September 11, 2001. For the NYPD, that history is deeply personal.
September 11 was an act of terrorism that changed this city forever. Twenty-three members of this department were killed at the World Trade Center that morning. Many more spent days, weeks, months working at Ground Zero. And in the years since, we have continued to lose members to illnesses connected to that work.
Those losses are still felt across the department and by the families who have lived with them for the past quarter century. Some sent a loved one to work on September 11th and never got to welcome them home. Others watched someone they loved return to Ground Zero again and again and later face the consequences of that service.
On September 11th, police officers and firefighters moved toward the World Trade Center while thousands of people were trying desperately to escape. They entered burning buildings and helped strangers reach safety. They put the lives of people they had never met ahead of their own. The courage of the members that we lost that morning is part of the inheritance of every person who serves in the NYPD. And as more time passes, preserving that inheritance becomes increasingly important.
There are now thousands of NYPD members who were children on September 11th or who were not yet born. They know that day [through] the stories they have been told, the photographs they have seen and the names that they pass on our memorial walls. For those of us who remember September 11th firsthand, that creates an enormous responsibility. That's why it is so important to ensure that remembrance remains a permanent part of the life of this city. We have to make sure the next generation understands what happened to this city, what was asked of the people who responded and the example that they left behind. That example still shapes the NYPD and generations of officers who have followed them.
Twenty-five years is a long time, but the passage of time only makes the work of remembrance more important, because fewer New Yorkers will have their own memories of that morning. The scale and devastation of the loss that day was unfathomable, and so too was the heroism and the valor that we witnessed in response in the face of unimaginable tragedy. New York City police officers and firefighters showed the very best of humanity. Twenty-five years later, it is our responsibility to make sure that example is never forgotten. For the NYPD, it never will be. We will never forget.
Now, I would like to introduce New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Christina Farrell.
Commissioner Christina Farrell, New York City Emergency Management: Good afternoon. As we honor the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and remember the friends, coworkers and family members who lost their lives, our hearts remain heavy with their memories but also filled with our love for them.
New York City was shaken but not broken when the unthinkable happened. Today's executive order to designate 9/11 as a day of remembrance and service is a reminder of how we can all come together during a crisis. We all have personal stories attached to that day, and a day of service will ensure that the next generations understand the power of community and that it takes us all to build a resilient city.
And our ability to be resilient is also why we're here today. As has been mentioned, almost 20 years ago, Executive Order 107 launched the City's Continuity of Operations Program to ensure that when emergencies happen, New Yorkers can count on the essential services that keep our city running and safe.
Just like New York City and the world have changed dramatically over the last two decades, so have the threats facing the city and the way that agencies work to keep essential services running. To aid in that effort, we're updating a vital program to match today's changing risk environment. In the past 25 years, we have experienced small and large disasters, from devastating weather events, power outages, building explosions, hurricanes and a pandemic. New York City maintains and exercises more than 60 major continuity plans each year to keep essential services running during these emergencies. More than 140 continuity planners across City agencies work proactively to protect critical technology, facilities and operations. Emergency Management provides 24/7 continuity support for agencies during incidents to keep important services running.
In 2026, New York City Emergency Management has already supported 20 real-world continuity incidents, including two major snowstorms, building fires and technology failures, ensuring essential services remain available despite disruptions. Through it all, with the help of our partner agencies like OMB, DCAS, OTI and City Hall, Emergency Management continues to work with all agencies to ensure that our essential services are available before, during and after emergencies. Also, September is National Preparedness Month, and I would be remiss not to remind all New Yorkers to prepare and update your emergency plan, just as the mayor is updating this continuity order. Again, thank you, Mr. Mayor, for signing these executive orders.
[Mayor Mamdani signs executive orders.]
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