|
|
 |
 |
by KAREEM FAHIM
A promotion ceremony yesterday for 33 firefighters might have been more melancholy than celebratory. After all, three of the firefighters who attended are a living reminder of Jan. 23, 2005, the Fire Department's deadliest day since Sept. 11, 2001. On Jan. 23, three of the department's members were killed battling two separate fires, one in Brooklyn and the other in the Bronx. Three recovering injured firefighters from that day - Joseph P. DiBernardo, Jeffrey Cool and Brendan K. Cawley - were at the ceremony.
After the dignitaries stepped onto the dais, taking their seats in front of a solemn painting depicting firefighters rescuing citizens from an apocalyptic blaze, anguish gave way to hope, and the event became more like a high school pep rally.
"It's like a roller coaster ride," Battalion Chief Edward Moriarty, the ceremony's M.C., told the audience of firefighters and their families. "We go up and we go down."
"Now Jan. 23, that was one of our down days, our dark days," the chief said. But yesterday was a great day, he added, as the crowd cheered Joseph P. DiBernardo, a survivor of one of the winter fires. He was promoted to lieutenant.
The morning's other big hero was Chief of Department Peter E. Hayden, the city's highest-ranking firefighter, who testified on Monday about the department's objections to the city's new emergency response plan. That testimony has become a point of pride among the ranks, and this audience was no exception: Chief Hayden received a standing ovation when he took the stage.
"We all have a lift in our step today," Chief Moriarty said. "We all feel good."
The ceremony took place at the Fire Academy on Randalls Island, a training ground with many red-brick structures designed for drills. Outside, squads of probationary firefighters jogged past the auditorium in unison, and one group took a gentle dig at the Police Department, with a marching chant about "old ladies" and "police school." Smoke billowed out of a building fitted with smoke machines. On top of a third training structure, firefighters threw down rescue ropes from the roof.
During the Bronx blaze in January, Firefighter DiBernardo and Firefighter Jeffrey Cool were trapped together in a burning apartment building. Four of their colleagues had jumped out of a nearby window, and two of them - Lt. Curtis W. Meyran and Firefighter John G. Bellew - were killed in the fall. Using rope, the trapped men closed the distance between the window and the ground, although each was critically injured, and Lieutenant DiBernardo said his injuries would keep him off a fire truck for the rest of his life. Firefighter Cool and Firefighter Brendan K. Cawley, who also fought the Bronx fire, were in the audience yesterday.
Firefighter Bellew was promoted to lieutenant posthumously on April 1. The third firefighter killed on that day was Richard T. Sclafani, who was trapped on the stairs of a burning building in Brooklyn.
When Chief Moriarty called his name, Lieutenant DiBernardo, in braces, stepped gingerly across the stage to receive his promotion without the aid of a walker that had been put aside for him. Several people said it was a miracle to see him walk again.
Robert L. Spadaro, a tall man with gray hair, was promoted from firefighter to pilot with one of the department's marine units. Standing with his 3-year-old son, Louis, he reflected on the ceremony.
"You've got a guy here today who made a lot of sacrifices," he said, referring to Lieutenant DiBernardo. "I'm happy for myself today, but I think of my friends who aren't here." Pilot Spadaro had been friends with Firefighter Bellew.
With that, he scooped up Louis, but then stopped, pointing at his son.
"My wife was home on maternity leave from Cantor Fitzgerald with him on Sept. 11," he said.
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
