FDNY Lt. Joseph DiBernardo added to Wall of Honor

[RWC130 594]

FDNY UPDATE: Fallen Firefighter "Joey D" DiBernardo

to be Named on FDNY's Wall of Honor

Monday, July 16, 2012

By Christine Sampson

Since his death in November, the name Joseph DiBernardo Jr. – "Joey D" – is one that lives in the minds and hearts of his family and friends in the Setauket and Miller Place communities. Now, it's a name that will also be memorialized on the FDNY's "Wall of Honor," a place of honor for New York City firefighters who have died in the line of duty.

The FDNY announced Monday that Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano made the decision to add DiBernardo's name to the Wall of Honor based on an in-depth review of DiBernardo's medical history.

"As a result of this extensive review of the evidence, I find a compelling case to include Joseph’s name on our Wall of Honor and to approve a line-of-duty plaque for his firehouse, Rescue 3," Cassano said in a statement.

Joey D, a Setauket Fire Department volunteer who joined the FDNY in 1995, sustained critical injuries from the Black Sunday fire in January of 2005, a fire which killed two firefighters and critically injured him and three more.

Joey D, who also spent months working on Ground Zero cleanup efforts following 9/11, has been credited with helping another firefighter safely escape the Black Sunday fire using an escape rope. But when he tried to escape himself, the rope broke and he fell 40 feet to the ground. He broke nearly every bone below his waist, needing reconstructive surgery, screws, and plates.

Credit: http://www.firefight...y/newsid/167170

Edited July 17, 2012 by RWC130