Parenty represents NYC firefighters<br> New York City firefighter shines Olympic Torch's light on his brothers


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Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Torch Relay

By Ted Brock, Staff Writer

Captain Richard Parenty, Engine 54, Fire Department of New York, regards carrying the Olympic Torch as a great honor. Of course, he says, that's not the heart of the story.

"IT REFLECTS MORE on other people than myself," Parenty says. "It's an honor that should be given to firemen in general."

Parenty is one of 100 torchbearers chosen to commemorate the events of September 11, 2001.

He carries the Olympic Flame in New York City on Sunday, two days before Christmas.

"It's really not about me," he says, "It's a privilege to represent (New York City firemen), but I'm not taking it as anything for me. For some reason they just picked my name out of a hat or a news article somewhere."

Fifteen members of Engine 54 -located at 782 8th Avenue in Manhattan, about three or four miles from Ground Zero -lost their lives in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks."

"My guys were there within five or seven minutes," Parenty says. "My company was there early on. In fact, everyone who (was on duty at the time of the attacks) is not with us any longer."

Parenty, like all other off-duty firemen in the City, responded to the department's "total recall" and arrived at the site around 11:30 a.m.

"The emotional effects of the experience, he says, will have to wait."

"We're busy right now," he says. "I don't know about the future. We have people we have to take care of. I guess you'd call it keeping our nose to the grindstone."

"That's the way we do things -take care of the task at hand."

Parenty is awed by the support given to the City's firefighters, but again shifts the focus away from himself, almost as if he'd rather run anonymously."

"The expression from brother firemen around the world has been very comforting," he says. "It's a very special job. It's not a 9-5 job. And it's not about me. It's us."

Parenty began his firefighting career at age 26 and has been with the Department since 1980, when he decided "to try something different." He grew up in Whitestone, Queens, and now lives in Montauk, Long Island, with wife Janet, sons Nicholas, 11, and Jack, 8, and daughter Alicia, 5.

He says he's "not a marathon runner or anything" and hasn't been doing much in the way of training because "there isn't time for anything."

He'll carry the Olympic Torch without fanfare but with a humble understanding of what his 0.2 of a mile represents.

"(Before September 11) I don't think people really appreciated the grunts, the regular firefighters, the way they do now," he says."

"It's just a shame 343 guys couldn't have felt that appreciation."