9/11 doc ‘Chief’ preserves FDNY history on screen and beyond

9/11 doc ‘Chief’ preserves FDNY history on screen and beyond

FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2001 file photo, with the skeleton of the World Trade Center twin towers in the background, New York City firefighters work amid debris on Cortlandt St. after the terrorist attacks. On Friday, Feb. 15, 2019, Rupa Bhattacharyya, the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund special master, announced that the compensation fund for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks will cut future payments by 50 to 70 percent because the fund is running out of money. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — A new documentary chronicles the life and 42-year career of Bill Feehan, the highest-ranking and oldest New York City fire official killed at the World Trade Center. “Chief” is airing on public television stations and in-person screenings around the 20th anniversary of the attack. It weaves archival footage of his old speeches and TV interviews with recollections from relatives and colleagues, including current commissioner Daniel Nigro and the commissioner on 9/11, Thomas Von Essen. Feehan died in the collapse of the trade center’s north tower. The 71-year-old Feehan had insisted on helping pull firefighters to safety after the earlier collapse of the south tower.

Photo: FILE – In this Sept. 11, 2001 file photo, with the skeleton of the World Trade Center twin towers in the background, New York City firefighters work amid debris on Cortlandt St. after the terrorist attacks. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)