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by EGINALD PATRICK
Fallen hero Michael Esposito will continue to save lives -- in spirit, at least.
Esposito, an Eltingville resident who was a Fire Department captain assigned to Rescue Co. 1 in Brooklyn, died at Ground Zero on Sept. 11, 2001.
Yesterday, FDNY brass dedicated new, state-of-the-art fire training equipment in his honor at the Fire Academy on Randall's Island, ensuring that new firefighters just starting the job will be fully equipped to safeguard the public.
With Esposito's family looking on -- including his brother, Firefighter Joseph Esposito of Rescue Co. 5 in Concord -- Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta officially dedicated the department's advanced trench and confined space simulator in Esposito's memory.
A plaque on the device bears the deceased firefighter's name.
The apparatus makes it possible to train firefighters in one of the most dangerous situations they encounter -- carrying out a rescue in a confined space such as a trench or a manhole.
Esposito's family was the moving force in getting several local construction and engineering firms to build the training simulator free of charge.
Joseph Esposito called the dedication "bittersweet."
"I'm happy my brother's name will be enshrined on something like this," he said. But he added it was "sad" that a loved one is gone, making such a dedication ceremony necessary.
'VERY PROUD'
Michael Esposito's wife, Denise, said she was "very proud and honored" by the dedication.
Also on hand for the ceremony were Esposito's son, Michael Jr.; his parents Sam and Rosa Esposito; two more brothers, Fran and Sal, and his cousin, Sal Mingoia.
In December, the Esposito family persuaded Modern Continental, a Queens-based general contractor, to construct the apparatus and donate it to the Fire Department. Mingoia is a laborer with the company.
Project manager Barry Longenecker said the simulator is essentially a concrete trench attached to a tunnel and manhole. It allows for firefighters to train in conditions requiring agility in confined spaces.
"We were just glad to build it and donate it to the Fire Department in memory of Michael Esposito," Longenecker said. "We're really showing our appreciation for what firefighters do every day, for everybody in this city."
Scoppetta was joined by Chief of Department Peter Hayden and instructors with FDNY's Special Operations Command in dedicating the apparatus.
The Fire Department is the only city agency to employ the training device.
It has instructed 100 firefighters on the simulator to date, according to Scoppetta's office. It is hoped that more than 400 firefighters will be trained on the simulator by the end of the year.
The simulator was demonstrated after the dedication and plaque unveiling.
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