Firefighter of the Year Award
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 |