|
|
 |
 |
by MICHAEL SCHOLL
There was a temporary truce yesterday in the war of words between the Bloomberg administration and city firefighters, as both sides gathered to recognize extraordinary acts of heroism by New York's Bravest.
Thirty-seven firefighters -- eight of them Staten Islanders -- and two fire companies were honored for their outstanding service to the city.
The annual FDNY Medal Day ceremony was held on the plaza in front of City Hall.
Hundreds of family members, friends and fellow firefighters cheered the honorees as they received their medals from Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Lt. Philip Solimeo of Great Kills and Firefighter John Hourican of Eltingville were awarded medals for saving the life of an emotionally disturbed Grymes Hill man. The victim became trapped in his apartment when he set fire to it after a heated argument with his girlfriend.
Hourican and Solimeo were among members of Concord-based Rescue Co. 5 who responded to the early-morning blaze in an apartment at 82 Arlo Rd. on Oct 9, 2004.
After hearing moans coming from the rear of the apartment, Hourican and Solimeo crawled through a burning living room and forced open the locked door of a rear bedroom, where they found the burned and semi-conscious 25-year-old victim.
Hourican grabbed the victim around the upper torso, while Solimeo supported the man's lower body. With flames rolling over their heads, the pair dragged the victim to safety through the apartment's front door.
A modest Solimeo talked about what it felt like to be honored for his bravery.
"It's a privilege," Solimeo said. "It's a privilege to be recognized along with the other firemen here for the acts of courage that they displayed."
Firefighter Vincent Tavella Jr. of Westerleigh, the son of a retired firefighter, was honored for helping to rescue six people trapped in an apartment on the top floor of a burning 22-story building in Brooklyn exactly a year ago yesterday.
Tavella used a rope to lower himself from the roof of the building into the apartment, where he calmed the hysterical occupants and gave them oxygen until additional help arrived.
His wife, Carroll, and their sons, Keith, 6, and Vincent, 5, joined Tavella's parents and sister in cheering their hero firefighter during the ceremony.
"It's just a nice day for the family," Tavella said.
Firefighter Anthony Maiello of Westerleigh received his medal for rescuing two people from a burning Brooklyn building on Aug. 15, 2004.
Lt. Joseph Cilento of New Dorp was honored for pulling a woman out of a burning Brooklyn home on Feb. 8, 2004.
Firefighter John Kroczynski of Dongan Hills received his medal for pulling a 78-year-old woman out of a burning Brooklyn apartment on May 23, 2004.
And Firefighter John Spillane of Eltingville was honored for saving two people from a Brooklyn blaze on July 9, 2004.
An eighth Islander, Fire Marshal Richard Grigoli of Stapleton, was awarded a medal for leading the investigation that led to the arrest and conviction of an arsonist who set a fire that seriously injured three people in Manhattan in August.
The two-hour Medal Day ceremony provided a morale boost for a Fire Department that has been torn by conflicts between rank-and-file members and the brass.
Firefighters are upset about stalled contract negotiations and the city's recent decision to give the Police Department control over hazardous-materials incidents.
Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta generated additional grumbling last week when he criticized Uniformed Firefighters Association president Stephen Cassidy and Uniformed Fire Officers Association President Peter Gorman for advising their members to stop their rigs at all red lights and stop signs when responding to emergencies.
Scoppetta, Cassidy and Gorman were cordial to each other during yesterday's ceremony, which was their first public appearance since last week's red-light flap.
While not booed, Scoppetta and Bloomberg received only tepid applause.
The only other awkward moment occurred when a firefighter in the audience yelled "Give us a raise" while Bloomberg was speaking.
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
