{"id":801915,"date":"2026-05-17T02:30:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T02:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/801915\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T02:30:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T02:30:37","slug":"fdny-lt-michael-conboy-retires-after-41-years-im-truly-one-of-the-lucky-ones-new-york-daily-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/801915\/","title":{"rendered":"FDNY Lt. Michael Conboy retires after 41 years: \u2018I\u2019m truly one of the lucky ones.\u2019 \u2013 New York Daily News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether he was pulling a young mother out of a burning building, or helping a kid pump his bicycle tire at a local firehouse, FDNY Lt. Michael Conboy<\/a> loved being a firefighter because it meant he got to look out for the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re afforded an opportunity to help someone every day,\u201d said Conboy, 65, who retired on Friday after 41 years in the department. \u201cOn their worst day, we\u2019re there to help them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conboy has seen his share of bad days. He was on the scene in the Bronx, where a 1990 arson fire killed 87 people who were trapped at the Happy Land Social Club.<\/p>\n

He answered the call in 2001, when a Father\u2019s Day blaze<\/a> killed three firefighters and injured dozens of people at an Astoria hardware store.<\/p>\n

And he responded to Belle Harbor, Queens\u00a0 in 2001, in the weeks after the 9\/11 terrorist attack, when a plane crashed on the Rockaway peninsula killing 251 passengers,<\/a> nine crew members and five Belle Harbor residents.<\/p>\n

\"FDNYFDNY Firefighter Michael “Mickey” Conboy (center) of Ladder 37 in the Bronx is pictured surrounded by his company in 1988 after winning the New York Daily News Hero Award. (John Pedin \/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

But Conboy, who spent much of his career assigned to Rescue Co. 3 in the Bronx, said he doesn\u2019t dwell on the tragedies. He focuses on the triumphs.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to push it aside and keep it in perspective,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

And sometimes perspectives change.<\/p>\n

When he first joined the FDNY in 1985, his plan was to stay on the job \u201cuntil the wheels came off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FireFire Commissioner Daniel Nigro (far left), Mayor Bill de Blasio (2nd from left) and Chief of Department James Leonard (far right) present Lt. Michael “Mickey” Conboy of Rescue Company 3 with the James Gordon Bennett Medal and NYS Honorary Fire Chiefs Association Medal at the annual FDNY Medal Day Ceremony on Wednesday, June 6, 2018, at City Hall Plaza in Manhattan, New York. (Sam Fuller \/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

Conboy loved being a firefighter so much that he volunteered at the fire department in Montgomery, in upstate Orange County where he lives.<\/p>\n

More than 40 years later, it turns out that the wheels are still on, and now he thinks that\u2019s the best time to hang up his hose.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m blessed,\u201d Conboy said. \u201cI have my health and that\u2019s a great thing. And I feel great.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FDNYFDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro (left) shakes the hand of Rescue 3 Lt. Michael “Mickey” Conboy after Conboy received the Dr. Harry M. Archer Medal at the 2021 FDNY Medal Day at Arthur Ash Stadium in Queens on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (Barry Williams for New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

But Conboy\u2019s career isn\u2019t ending quietly. He was on the ground in Manhattan earlier this month when an apartment building fire killed three people in Inwood.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u00a0 has been very busy.\u201d Conboy said. \u201cI thought I would exit stage left quietly.\u00a0 It hasn\u2019t worked out that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next on Conboy\u2019s list are trips with his his wife to several U.S. national parks, and quality time with his 10 grandchildren.<\/p>\n

\"FDNYFDNY Lt. Michael “Mickey” Conboy of Squad 41, is pictured after he and his company rescued children from a three-alarm fire on 116th St. in Harlem on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007. (Enid Alvarez \/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

Will he miss suiting up when he hears a fire engine rumble by?<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew it was time,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m truly fortunate and blessed to work 41 years and walk away and still have my health. I\u2019m truly one of the lucky ones.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Whether he was pulling a young mother out of a burning building, or helping a kid pump his…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":801916,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,2451,3059,5295,1370,728,405,403,5294,50,5226,5225,5228,5227,5293,5321,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-801915","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-city","10":"tag-county","11":"tag-crime-and-public-safety","12":"tag-latest-headlines","13":"tag-local-news","14":"tag-new-york","15":"tag-new-york-city","16":"tag-new-york-county","17":"tag-news","18":"tag-newyork","19":"tag-newyorkcity","20":"tag-ny","21":"tag-nyc","22":"tag-nyc-crime","23":"tag-sub-county-region","24":"tag-united-states","25":"tag-united-states-of-america","26":"tag-unitedstates","27":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","28":"tag-us","29":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116587569479230331","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=801915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/801916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=801915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=801915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=801915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}