JOSEPH COLEMAN
Associated Press Writer
PARIS (AP) -- Wearing photos of the fallen around their necks, families of New York firefighters killed in the Sept. 11 terror attacks came to France on Monday as guests of the Paris Fire Department.
The 75 visitors from New York, many of them wearing FDNY T-shirts and other department insignia, included two New York City firefighters. The guests will attend ceremonies Sunday for Bastille Day, France's national holiday.
``We're in Paris today because of the generosity of the French people,'' said Steven Olsen, who wore a picture of his fallen brother-in-law, firefighter David Halderman.
``It's an expression of love from people ... who share common things,'' he said. ``When we see tragedy, we often want to help.''
The group was greeted at Charles de Gaulle airport by members of the Paris Fire Department. Many of the guests brought children. The two firefighters had shirts that read, ``United we stand.''
The 12-day visit is part of a cooperative agreement being put together between the two fire departments after the attacks on the World Trade Center, in which 343 New York firefighters died. New York battalion chiefs were in Paris in March to help prepare for this week's events.
``The Paris fire brigade and the New York Fire Department decided many months ago to create a real partnership,'' said Laurent Frydlender, who is acting as a liaison between the departments.
The cooperative agreement will be signed in a ceremony Saturday, and the French firefighters will present a painting they have commissioned to honor their New York colleagues.
That night, the guests will attend the traditional Firefighters' Ball that is held on the eve of Bastille Day.
On Sunday, the families will watch the parade down the tree-lined Champs-Elysees and attend President Jacques Chirac's annual party in the garden behind the presidential palace.
