Town of Plattsburgh looks to honor 9/11 response trooper

PLATTSBURGH | In 2017, the nation and community mourned the loss of New York State Police Trooper Brian Falb following a long battle with brain cancer stemming from his assignment at the World Trade Center site following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City. Just days before the 20th anniversary of the attacks, the Town of Plattsburgh is now working to honor the well-known local father and first responder by advocating to dedicate the Twin Bridges on Interstate 87 as the Trooper Brian S. Falb Memorial Bridges. "Our community and the Great State of New York lost a hero with the passing of NYS Trooper Brian Falb," Plattsburgh Town Supervisor Michael Cashman said Sept. 8 as he announced the town's recent passage of a resolution to formally pursue the dedication in Trooper Falb's memory. The resolution advocates the town's request with tributes to Falb's lengthy history of service in Troop B and beyond, as well as his ties to his Cadyville hometown, where he raised his four children with wife, Mary. With a distinguished career in the North Country, Trooper Falb was involved in countless responses, including the 2015 local manhunt for escaped murderers Richard Matt and David Sweat, the 2012 cleanup after Hurricane Sandy and the aftermath of the 2005 devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. In the resolution, which was unanimously passed by all town councilors in attendance Sept. 2, officials recognized Trooper Falb's response in the search and rescue efforts following Sept. 11 and his "willingness to sacrifice his own safety and ultimately his life for the sake of fellow citizens." The town's passage of the resolution now brings formal recommendation for the naming of the Twin Bridges that traverse the Saranac River along I-87 in the Town of Plattsburgh. Copies of the resolution were sent to New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul, Sen. Dan Stec and Assemblyman Billy Jones-among other area lawmakers-for help now moving the plan forward. Cashman said the formal dedication would require the passage of local bills in the Senate and Assembly before final approval by Gov. Hochul, who was among the hundreds who lined the streets to honor Trooper Falb during his March 2017 funeral in Plattsburgh. The services for Falb not only united the local community but brought masses of law-enforcement from Vermont, New Jersey, California and a number of other states in honor of his service and sacrifice as streets were closed and flags were flown half-mast across the state in his honor.

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Town of Plattsburgh looks to honor 9/11 response trooper

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