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
2021 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 |
| 2019 | Jason Bernfeld | Melville Fire Department |
| 2020 | Delphi Falls Fire Department, Manlius Fire Department, Cazenovia Fire Department, Pompey Hill Fire Department |