Firefighter of the Year Award

2019 Winner

Jason Bernfeld

Melville Fire Department

The morning of March 12, 2018, Third Assistant Chief Jason Bernfeld was traveling westbound on the Northern State Parkway. He observed what he believed to be the taillight of a vehicle that had driven off the road.

He immediately stopped his vehicle and confirmed that it was an overturned vehicle that had slid down the embankment and into a tree. Bernfeld saw that the driver was still inside the vehicle, so he entered through the broken rear window to help.

Upon entering the vehicle, he saw that it was on fire and that the driver was being burned on his legs. Bernfeld, who grew up in Melville and has been with the department in some capacity since he first joined as a teen, returned to his vehicle and grabbed a fire extinguisher and seatbelt cutter.

He was able to knock back the flames and cut the seatbelt from the driver. Bernfeld then dragged the occupant out of the vehicle through the rear window to the embankment.

Shortly after removing the driver from the vehicle, it became completely engulfed in flames. The fire was extinguished by about two dozen Melville firefighters, who arrived at the scene with two engines, two ambulances, a heavy rescue truck, paramedics and another Chief. The driver was transported to Nassau University Medical Center for treatment of cuts, pain to his neck and back, and leg burns.

Bernfeld undoubtedly prevented the death of the driver.

ADAPTED FROM A NOMINATION BY CHRIS NOLAN, MELVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF

2019 Firefighter of the Year Sponsored by:

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