Firefighter of the Year Award

 

On October 19, 2020, a vehicle was traveling eastbound on Montauk Highway with two people inside when their car was struck by another vehicle, sending them into a canal. The Copiague Fire Department was alerted and the Lindenhurst Fire Department was activated for mutual aid.

Second Lieutenant John Tighe was at his residence when he heard the crash and immediately rushed toward it. Firefighter Mark Miller was driving on Montauk Highway when he saw the car in the canal and immediately pulled over to help. The man driving was removed by bystanders as both Tighe and Miller arrived. They jumped into the water as the car sank with the second victim, an elderly woman, still inside the vehicle.

With the car now submerged in eight to 10 feet of water, Tighe, Miller, a Suffolk County police officer and a civilian tried several times to break the car windows to reach the trapped victim. Miller attempted to break the windshield with a hammer, but it dropped into the water. He swam back to shore and was handed a cinder block. This time attempted to break the rear window, but the cinder block fell into the water. Miller then swam back to shore for a second cinder block and returned to the vehicle. This time, he was successful in breaking the rear window.

At this point, Miller tried to enter, but there was an obstruction blocking the window. He then attempted to get in through the driver’s side window while Tighe continued to work on the rear window. After several attempts, Tighe was able to remove the obstruction from the rear window. He then made entry and successfully removed the victim from inside.

Once removed, they used the police officer’s ring buoy to bring the victim to shore, where Firefighter John Tighe, Sr. and other bystanders were waiting with a rope. They wrapped the rope around her arms and hoisted her out of the water.

While on shore, an off-duty Lake Success police officer found the victim had no pulse and began CPR. After several minutes of CPR, she regained a pulse with shallow breathing. The Copiague Fire Department transported her to Good Samaritan Hospital, where she recovered from her injuries. The man was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital by The Lindenhurst Fire Department and recovered.

Adapted from a nomination by Craig A. Santoli, Lindenhurst FD Chief

Past Award Recipients

1955	J. Robert Kramer	Lewis Tompkins Hose Company #1
1956	Edward Dixon	Great Neck Vigilants
1957	William M. Belinson	Eggertsville Hose Company
1958	John Patrick Cronin III	Tallman Fire Company #1
1959	Dominic C. Zappia	Massena Fire Department
1960	Donald Brown	West Carthage Fire Department
1961	James Gilliam	Lewiston Fire Company #2
1962	Russell Fleischman	Washington Engine Company #2
1963	James H. Jackson	Andover Fire Department
1964	Donald H. Price	Nyack Fire Department
1965	Stephen R. Bucki	Harris Hill Fire Company
1966	Gary Elbert	Flower Hill Hose Company #1
1967	Gordon O. Schmidt	St. Paul Boulevard Fire Association
1968	Jake Parris	Patchogue Fire Department
1969	Thomas Nameth	Slater Chemical Fire Company
1970	Charles L. Ossont	Westmoreland Fire Department
1971	Barry Simmons	Rhinebeck Fire Department
1972	Hobart A. Abbey	Forest View — Gang Mills Fire Deptartment
1973	Harry Charkow	Mattituck Fire Department
1974	John A. Keogh	Mattituck Fire Department
1975	John Richard Green	Merrick Fire Department
1976	Willard John Hoyt	South Schodak Fire Company
1977	Alton L. Lewis	Montour Falls Fire Department
1978	George Cannella	Islip Terrace Fire Department
1979	Randall R. Rhoades	East Syracuse Fire Department
1980	George Jerry Dean	Gates — Chili Fire Department
1981	David A. Sedlock	Massena Fire Department
1982	David L. Curley	Delhi Fire Department
1983	Richard W. Gehrt	Smithtown Fire Department
1984	Frederic Furminger	Depew Fire Department
1985	Thomas A. Phillips	S. W.  Johnson Steam Fire Engine Company
1986	Michael F. Reid	Merrick Hook & Ladder Company #1
1987	John L. Hyzer	Bainbridge Fire Department
1988	Paul Edward Vinciguerra	Lindenhurst Chemical & Salvage Company #2
1989	Robert A. Frank	Central Islip Fire Department
1990	Robert Hitchcock	Blenheim Fire Department
1991	Charles R. Zigrosser	Bayport Fire Department
1992	George P. Motchkavitz	Great Neck Alert Engine Company
1993	Robert Pettigrew	North Babylon Fire Company
1994	Paul A. MacMurray	Hudson Falls Fire Department
1995	Kenneth T. Jones	Sayville Hook & Ladder Company #1
1995	William H. Pyne III	Sayville Hook & Ladder Company #1
1996	David A. DiDio	Bellport Fire Department
1997	Matthew F. Merecka	Freeport Fire Department
1998	Larry J. Stumpo	North Patchogue Fire Department
1999	James S. Fredericks	Mohegan Volunteer Fire Association, Inc.
2000	Mark Sposato	Brewerton Fire Department, Inc.
2001	Raymond Valles	Ossining Steamer Company #1, Inc.
2001	Donald J. Farrell	Cataract Hose Company #2
2001	John Simkins	Ossining Fire Department
2001	William H. Brown III	Ossining Fire Department
2002	Dedicated to those who died in the Line of Duty 9/11/01
2003	Brian Stevens	Manlius Vol. Fire Company, Inc.
2004	John C. Glidden III	Huntington Manor Fire Department
2004	Frederick Steenson Jr.	Huntington Manor Fire Department
2004	Richard Prudente	Huntington Manor Fire Department
2005	Joseph Cirincione	Rush Fire Department
2005	Michael Terzo	Rush Fire Department
2005	Peter Henry	Rush Fire Department
2005	James Bucci	Rush Fire Department
2006	Richard J. Gimbl	Holbrook Fire Department
2007	Lieutenant Al Cinotti	West Islip Fire Department
2008	Lieutenant Edward Kunz	Bay Shore Fire Department
2008	Lieutenant John Ippolito Jr.	Bay Shore Fire Department
2009	Assistant Chief Timothy R. Ellis	North Syracuse Fire Department
2010	Kevin Oatman	Verona Fire Department
2010	Aldo Cacciotti	Verona Fire Department
2010	Jeff Hugunine	Verona Fire Department
2011	Second Assistant Chief Brian J. Lena	Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department
2011	Captain William J. “Billy” Bahr	Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department
2012	Andrew Kolesar	West Haverstraw Fire Department
2013	John Curley	Bellmore Fire Department
2014	Thomas J. Gorman	Bohemia Fire Department
2015	Frank Crispin	Moyers Corners Fire Department
2015	Steve Zaferakis	Moyers Corners Fire Department
2015	Phil Vogt	Moyers Corners Fire Department
2015	Ryan Whitmore	Moyers Corners Fire Department
2015	Jeremy Corsaro	Moyers Corners Fire Department
2016	Frederick Kopf	Baldwin Fire Department
2017	Timothy Duckham	Smithtown Fire Department
2017	Thomas Kriklava	Smithtown Fire Department
2017	Patrick Diecidue	Smithtown Fire Department
2017	Jennifer O’Brien	Smithtown Fire Department
2017	Joseph LaRocco	Smithtown Fire Department
2017	John Hansen	Smithtown Fire Department
2018	Peter DiPinto, Sr.	Brookhaven Fire Department
2019	Jason Bernfeld	Melville Fire Department
2020	Delphi Falls Fire Department, Manlius Fire Department, Cazenovia Fire Department, Pompey Hill Fire Department