The Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation had a great first show at FDIC 2016. We met new friends and made a lot of great fire service connections while in Indianapolis.
We'd like to thank Chief Bobby Halton, Editor of Fire Engineering, for helping us attend this year's event. A special thanks also goes out to Ryan "Birdman" Parrott and John Walters of Sons of the Flag for sharing their space and everything they did to support us at this year's show. It was truly an honor to work side by side helping the fire service.
The Foundation would also like to thank all of our sponsors who helped us get the word out at the show including our friends at Coastal Fire, Fire News, Fox and Sons, RPI, All Hands Training, Gemtor, MSA, Paratech.
A one-of-a-kind handmade mahogany helmet, made by Mike Nugent of Black Pearl Wood Works, with a custom helmet shield from Paul Conway Shields was a big hit at the show. Through your support, we were able to raffle this great collectible to raise funds to help keep firefighters safe. Retired FDNY Chief Tom Martin was the winner.
Thanks to everyone for a great show and for their support, we look forward to seeing you at next show.
Our friend, Captain Bob Farrell, at Fire Hooks Unlimited has again shown his caring support for the fire service. His generous donation of $10,000 to the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation will help us keep firefighters safe.
"We can continue equip and train firefighters in the U.S. and Canada because of Bob's generosity," says Chief DiBernardo, Foundation President. "Our Foundation and family are honored to have such a great friend and champion for the important work we're doing in Joey's memory."
Captain Bob Farrell, FDNY retired, served at Ladder 31 during the “war years” and the filming of the 1972 TV documentary “Man Alive: The Bronx is Burning.” Now he is the president/founder of Fire Hooks Unlimited. During the 2015 seminar, Bob was one of the “Bronx is Burning” legends who participated in the Friday panel discussion and meet and greet with students.
The Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation will be at the Long Island Antique Fire Apparatus Photo Shoot, presented by the Long Island Antique Fire Apparatus Association, on June 12, 2016. Stop by to learn more about the Foundation, buy a t-shirt or a challenge coin, and help us keep firefighters safe.
The Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation provides grant assistance to fire departments in the United States and Canada for personal safety rope systems. Applications for the 2016 grant period will be accepted from April 1 - July 31, 2016.
"Grants funds will help departments which do not have the financial means to provide this important life-saving equipment. We encourage all departments to keep their members safe by providing them with a personal safety rope," says Chief DiBernardo. To date, the Foundation has distributed nearly $86,000 in grant funding to fire departments in need.
For more information visit the Foundation's grant application page for more information and to download the application package.
This year's grantee will be notified on or before November 1, 2016.
Submitted by Peter Blaich (FDNY Lieutenant, Retired)
Today, on the 11th anniversary of the Black Sunday fire the Cornelius-Lemley Fire Rescue conducted the first Joey D memorial PSS class ever in Mecklenburg County, NC.
A donation of $2,800 was given in Joey D's name which allowed the department to build two 12 foot bailout props, a dozen GEMTOR, sterling T32 ropes with F4 defenders and bags PSS systems for the class.
This class was the first of its kind in Mecklenburg County and they hope to hold the class annually.
We received a Christmas card from our good friend Captain Bob Farrell at Fire Hooks Unlimited with a special surprise for the Foundation. Along with his holiday greetings, Bob sent a generous gift of $10,000 to help the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation continue to train and equip firefighters.
Captain Bob Farrell, FDNY retired, served at Ladder 31 during the "war years" and the filming of the 1972 TV documentary "Man Alive: The Bronx is Burning." Now he is the president/founder of Fire Hooks Unlimited and also a great supporter of the Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation. During the 2015 seminar, Bob was one of the "Bronx is Burning" legends who participated in the Friday panel discussion and meet and greet with students.
"Bob's kindness honors Joey and will help the Foundation provide training and support to firefighters throughout North America," says Chief DiBernardo, Joey's father and Foundation president.
We thank Bob for his continued support of the fire service and the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation.
You've heard of Black Friday and Cyber monday, how about #GivingTuesday? #GivingTuesday connects diverse groups of individuals, communities and organizations around the world for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving.
There are several ways that you can show your support for firefighters throughout North America, join the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation on December 1, 2015 for this global day of giving. Here are some ways that you can help:
- RSVP and share the Foundation's #GivingTuesday event with your families and friends.
- Make a donation to train and equip firefighters to keep them safe.
- If your department has benefitted from a Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation grant, share your story on social media and tag the Foundation.
- If you've been a student at one of the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation Annual Seminars please share how this training has helped you.
- Create your own way to give back - if you've got a great idea to show your support the Foundation we're excited to see it!
We thank everyone for their support in helping us keep firefighters safe. Through your generous support we are able to continue Joey's legacy of training firefighters. Thank you for honoring him in this special way!
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The Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation would like to thank to everyone who came out to support the Foundation on November 6, 2015 at the Coram Fire Department for This is Not Your Grandfather’s Fire Service by the P.L. Vulcan Training Concepts. We'd also like to thank the Coram Fire Department and P.L. Vulcan Training Concepts for making this event possible.Donations received will help the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation to provide personal life safety rope systems and provide training to firefighters.
New York Giants Game Ticket Winner Selected
Thank you to the New York Giants for their support of the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation and thank you to everyone who participated in the raffle.
https://youtu.be/VJKCNGOlWRY
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The Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation is pleased to announce its grant award to the Mount Hope Fire Department (NY). This grant, in the amount of $16,224, was provided by the Foundation in partnership with the Leary Firefighters Foundation. This grant funding will provide department members with personal life safety rope systems and related training. It also will provide a train-the-trainer course.
Mount Hope Fire Department was awarded the Foundation's first grant in May 2014 for personal life safety rope systems for 14 operational members. The additional grant funding will support 14 more operational members and provide training to be used for training members in the future.
The Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation, established in Joey’s memory in 2012, “carries on Joey’s legacy by training firefighters and providing funds to departments in need of life safety rope systems,” says Chief Joe DiBernardo. Grants funds will help departments which do not have the financial means to provide this important life-saving equipment. To date, the Foundation has distributed nearly $85,000 in grant funding to fire departments in need.
To ensure the safety of firefighters across the United States and Canada, the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation will continue to train firefighters and provide grants to departments in need of safety equipment. To learn more about the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation’s grant program for personal life safety rope systems or to apply visit: www.joeydfoundation.org.
This is Not Your Grandfather's Fire Service Presented at Coram Fire Department
November 6, 2015 7-9 pm
Today’s fire service is an ever-changing profession. This is Not Your Grandfather's Fire Service by the P.L. Vulcan will be presented at Coram Fire Department on November 6, 2015 from 7 - 9 pm to help firefighters better understand their craft. This great training event will support the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation, which helps to provide personal life safety rope systems to departments in need and provides life-saving training to firefighters.
Many studies have been done on firefighting tactics that are producing hard to swallow changes and catchy phrases like “hitting it hard from the yard.” One must ask themselves “are we re-inventing the wheel or do we really need to better understand our trade.”
This training will discuss today’s fireground and how we need to understand our enemy in order to achieve success. Modern building hazards and fire dynamics will be discussed as well tactical considerations such as search, VEIS, and ventilation. The importance of proper wearing of PPE and a discussion on the increase of maydays in the fire service will close out our presentation. This is a must attend program that will be valuable to all ranks from probie to chief of department.
Your $25 donation will support the work of the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation, which was established to carry on the legacy of FDNY Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo. Firefighters can register on-site starting at 6:30 pm at the Coram Fire Department, 303 Middle Country Rd., Coram, New York on the night of the training.
On August 26, 2015 the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation was honored to receive the Billy Goldfeder Fire Service Organizational Safety Award, co-sponsored by International Association of Fire Chiefs Safety, Health and Survival Section and VFIS. Thank you to everyone for their support of our mission and for helping us to remember Joey!
Jeff Cool will be the Brookhaven Town Safety Officers Association's keynote speaker on September 10, 2015 at the Coram Fire Headquarters, Coram, NY 11727. Dinner is at 7:00 p.m. and the lecture starts at 7:30 p.m.
Come join us and hear Jeff talk about the lessons learned from what has come to be known in the fire service as “Black Sunday.” On Sunday, January 23, 2005, a deadly fire that took the lives of LT Curt Meyran and FF John Bellew and four others who were badly hurt when they were forced to jump from a fourth floor window of a burning building in the Bronx. A third firefighter died after tackling a basement blaze also in Brooklyn on that same day. The"Black Sunday" fire also took the life of Joey DiBernardo, who died several years later on November 22, 2011.
Jeff retired from FDNY in 2006 due to massive injuries he sustained. A day called one of the saddest in fire department history. He now does lectures on details of how they got into that situation and also the importance of bail-out ropes.
There is no admission fee to attend this lecture but this will be a fundraiser for the Joey DiBernardo Memorial Foundation and any amount you can donate will be greatly appreciated. We are accepting cash, checks (to: Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation), credit cards and vouchers at the door.
“Let no man’s ghost come back to say - My training let me down”
For more information please call 631-495-6418 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation received the following letter from the Burdett Fire Company which received a grant in May 2015 for personal life safety rope systems. We are proud to be able to help fire departments across the country, like the Burdett Fire Company, keep their firefighters safe.
Dear Mr. DiBernardo,
All of the members of the Burdett Fire Company wish to thank you for your generous gift and support in helping us to purchase and train with the new bail out systems. With that thank you, we would also like to let you know that East Coast Solutions did an outstanding job in training and preparing our crew.
As you may already know, our company is made up of a very limited, devoted, and hardworking, voluntary crew. We each take great pride in our duties, our brothers and sisters, and in our community . So it is with a great honor we receive this gift.
There aren't enough "thank yous" we could send to you that would show our true appreciation. Please know that every time we train, every alarm that sounds, and many times in-between, we will be thanking you and thinking of you and your son.
You have provided our families with an extra assurance that we will be coming home and that is a tremendous gift in itself Thank you .
Sincerely,
Robin Lokken
Chief
Daryl White
Assistant Chief
The Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation would like to thank the Selden Volunteer Fire Department for letting us participate in their parade and carnival. The Foundation was able to raise awareness and funds to help firefighters throughout the country. We thank everyone for their support!
Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation Board Member, Lou Andrade mans the Foundation table during the Selden Volunteer Fire Department Parade and Carnival.
The Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation would like to thank the Sound Beach Fire Department for letting us participate in their anniversary celebration. The Foundation was able to raise awareness and funds to help firefighters throughout the country. We thank everyone for their support!
In May 2015, the Burdett Fire Department of Burdett, New York received a grant from the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation for personal life safety rope systems. The Foundation is happy to report that members were provided their new equipment and received training to use their personal life safety rope system. Firefighters had a great opportunity to practice their skills in a vacant structure which gave them real-world experience with the equipment.
The Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation, established in Joey’s memory in 2012, “carries on Joey’s legacy of training firefighters and our grant program provide funds to for life-saving rope systems,” says Chief Joe DiBernardo.
The Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation will continue to train firefighters and provide grants to departments in need of safety equipment across the United States and Canada to keep them safe. To learn more about the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation’s grant program for personal life safety rope systems or to apply visit: www.joeydfoundation.org/about-the-foundation/grants/.
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Supporters turned out for a night at the ballpark for some fun and to help the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation on July 25, 2015. Foundation fans watched the Mets take on the Dodgers from the Pepsi Porch at Citi Field and had a great time!
The Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation would like to thank the Mets for their support of our mission. We would also like to thank everyone who came out for their dedication helping us to continuing Joey's legacy of training and keeping firefighters safe.
We have learned that the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation will receive the Billy Goldfeder Fire Service Organizational Safety Award during Fire-Rescue International 2015. Chief Joe DiBernardo, Foundation president and Joey's father, will be at the conference to accept the award on August 27, 2015.
The Billy Goldfeder Fire Service Organizational Safety Award, co-sponsored by VFSI, is presented to fire service organizations that have demonstrated an outstanding commitment or significant contribution for firefighter health and safety. IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section Awards program recognizes both organizations and individuals that have made a significant contribution to the overall environment of health and safety within their own organizations and within the fire service.
The Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation, carries on Joey's legacy of training firefighters. After a deadly January 23, 2005 incident that left him critically injured, Joey traveled around the country training firefighters and stressing the importance of personal safety ropes. During this fire, six FDNY firefighters were forced to jump from a four-story tenement after becoming trapped while searching for victims. Lt. Curtis Meyran and Firefighter John Bellew died from their injuries and Firefighters Eugene Stolowski, Brendan Cawley, Jeff Cool, and Joseph DiBernardo were critically injured. Later that day, Firefighter Rich Sclafani died in a house fire in Brooklyn, making it the deadliest day for FDNY since September 11, 2001; the incident became known as "Black Sunday." The effects of Black Sunday are still felt today by survivors of the fire and their families. On November 22, 2011, Joseph DiBernardo, who was promoted to lieutenant after the incident, died from his Black Sunday injuries at the age of 40. In 2012, his family established a Foundation in his memory to help keep firefighters safe and prevent other tragedies.
