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One of the firefighters seriously injured jumping from the fourth floor of a burning building in the Bronx in January was promoted Tuesday.
Joseph DiBernardo, 34, walked onto the stage unassisted, with casts and braces on both of his feet, and took the oath for the rank of lieutenant at a ceremony at the Fire Academy on Randalls Island.
“The support was tremendous,” DiBernardo said. “It was nice to be able to walk up there and have everybody see me walking and standing. It's a big accomplishment. I feel really proud that I was up there.”
It was a special day that DiBernardo and his family thought may never happen.
“It's almost a surreal moment,” said his mother, Barbara. “Part of me doesn't believe anything ever happened, and at the same time I know it did. I see how far he has come, and it amazes me. I really didn't think I would see this day for a long time."
On January 23, DiBernardo and five other firefighters jumped four stories to escape a blaze in Mount Hope. Two of them were killed, and the other four were seriously hurt.
DiBernardo, who shared a rope with Firefighter Jeffrey Cool as they fell, suffered multiple broken bones. He was unconscious for 18 days and spent nearly two months in the hospital.
“They taught that maneuver thousands of times in firefighter survival training, and I’ve done it 500 times myself,” said DiBernardo. “I had total confidence in myself. I had no idea the rope was broken before I got on it.”
“Joey is a knowledgeable firefighter. He is a talented firefighter, and one of the best guys I've ever worked with,” said Cool. "I'm extremely proud of him.”
"In a life and death situation, he was there to anchor the rope that we believe saved his life and the life of Jeff Cool,” said Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta.
DiBernardo is still recovering from his injuries. Later this week he will have another operation on his ankle.
DiBernardo still says the FDNY is the best job in the world, but because of all of his injuries he will be retiring.
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