While not fire related, the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation, like you, is shocked and and saddened by the assassination of NYPD Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos on Saturday afternoon. This loss is compounded by the death of another first responder on Sunday, when Officer Charles Kondek in Tarpon Springs, FL was shot and run over after responding to help.

To our brothers and sisters in blue and their families we send our support and condolences. We urge all public safety personnel, whether fire, police, or EMS to remain vigilant as they respond to calls for service.

Funds will provide life saving equipment and training to firefighters

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On October 23, 2014, the Montour Falls Fire Department received a grant from the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation through its partnership with the Leary Firefighters Foundation and with the support of Sterling Rope. The grant, in the amount of $13,812, will provide personal life safety rope systems and related training to 18 department members.

In 2005, Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo, known to his friends and colleagues as “Joey D,” was critically injured in a Bronx apartment fire where two firefighters perished and three others were also badly injured. A personal safety rope system, carried by fellow Rescue 3 Firefighter Jeff Cool, helped both Joey and Jeff to escape the flames by lowering themselves as far as they could from the four-story jump. After the incident, Joey traveled around the country training firefighters and sharing his story to help other firefighters. His foundation will continue this work, helping firefighters in the United States and Canada.

Established in Joey’s memory in 2012, the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation holds training events that promote firefighter to raise funds to support its grant program. It also relies on the generous support of our sponsors and partners to help train and equip firefighters. Chief Joe DiBernardo, Foundation president and Joey's father, thanks supporters for what they have done to "carry on Joey's legacy of training firefighters and stressing the importance of life safety rope systems." These grants will help departments that do not have the financial means to provide this life-saving equipment.

In August 2012, New York Governor Cuomo, signed into law a measure to provide New York firefighters with personal safety rope systems or emergency escape systems in the event they become trapped in an elevated structure fire.

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.

The Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation sends it's sincere condolences to family of Firefighter Joyce Craig-Lewis and the Philadelphia Fire Department.

Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

http://youtu.be/m-V-JICkhEY

On this, the third anniversary of the passing of Lt. Joseph DiBernardo, please take a moment to reflect on the brotherhood and friendship he gave, and the impact he had on so many lives- both in the fire service and throughout our llives. He left this earth much too soon. Rest in peace brother, we'll take it from here.

The Boys from Rescue Three

By Dave Meloy

Through flames and smoke they traveled fast
To search for souls still free
The bravest lads, hard at work
The boys from Rescue Three

As they walked the smoke filled halls
They knew not what lie ahead
They battled flames and blockages
They fought while others fled

When escape seemed so far out of reach
A hero made his stand
He took his bail out rig and placed it in his brothers hand

A monumental gesture, to a brother who had kids
They were bonded by a kinship
They wore three upon their lids

True Angels flew from that window, as smoke had filled the sky
I’m sure they must have surely thought, this is our last goodbye
But the fate of each brave fireman was different on that day
God called some men to his hall, and he let some men stay

Bent but never broken, the boys of Rescue Three
A hero and a legend was born that day
His name was Joey D!

His sacrifice was epic, and as gigantic as his heart
He made it through that fateful day , not knowing when he’d part

So now he watches over us, the ones who brave the fire
His guiding hand and angels touch
Send down Lord Gods own choir

No man is ever left behind, that is our battle cry
No matter how tough the goin’ gets, when flames they reach the sky

Through flames and smoke they traveled fast
To search for souls still free
The bravest lads, hard at work
The boys from Rescue Three

12-09-1970 ~ 11-22-2011

Safety equipment and training to be provided to departments in need

The Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation is pleased to partner with the Leary Firefighters Foundation. This new partnership will help to provide personal life safety systems to departments in need in the New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts area.

Established in 2012, the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation “carries on Joey’s legacy by training firefighters and providing funds to departments in need of life safety rope systems,” says Chief Joe DiBernardo. The Foundation helps departments in the United States and Canada which do not have the financial means to provide this important life-saving equipment. We achieve our mission by holding training events that promote firefighter safety in order raise funds to support its grant program.

The Leary Firefighters Foundation was established in 2000 by actor Denis Leary in response to a tragic fire in Worcester, Massachusetts that claimed the lives of Denis’ cousin, a childhood friend, and four other firefighters. The Leary Firefighters Foundation’s mission is to provide funding and resources for fire departments to obtain the best available equipment, technology and training. They are dedicated to helping maintain the highest level of public safety in the community.

Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation thanks Central Maryland F.O.O.L.S. for their support of the Foundation during Firehouse Expo. The Foundation received a donation of $2,500 from the proceeds of the Brotherhood Bash sponsored by the Central Maryland F.O.O.L.S.

The Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation sends it's sincere condolences to family of Lieutenant James E. Bethea and the Baltimore City Fire Department.

Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation offers our sincere regrets on the sudden passing of our good friend and supporter Harvey Eisner. Harvey was the Editor Emeritus of Firehouse® Magazine and supported our Foundation from the beginning. He was a personal friend of Joey, Chief DiBernardo and firefighters all over the U.S.

He will be missed. May he rest in peace.

On Tuesday, October 7, 2014 Joseph P. DiBernardo was remembered at the New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial. He was among the nine New York firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice that were honored in 2014. The ceremony commemorating these heroes was held during Fire Prevention Week.

The New York State Memorial, dedicated in 1998 includes the names of 2,390 New York firefighters who have died in the line of duty dating back to 1811. It is located in Albany on Empire State Plaza.

Video from the Memorial

http://youtu.be/SGqcKNmmP6Q

Honorees include:

[bscolumns class="one_fourth"]FirefighterThomas J. Burley[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Youngstown Volunteer Fire Company[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Niagara County[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth_last"]June 18, 2013[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="clear"][/bscolumns]
[bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Firefighter John M. Janos[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Binghamton Fire Department[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Broome County[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth_last"]April 6, 2013[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="clear"][/bscolumns]
[bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Captain Matthew J. Porcari[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Owego Fire Department[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Tioga County[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth_last"]January 22, 2013[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="clear"][/bscolumns]
[bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Assistant Chief Timothy J. Lamere[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Constable Fire Department[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Franklin County[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth_last"]August 21, 2012[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="clear"][/bscolumns]
[bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Firefighter Antonio C. Rodriques[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Yonkers Fire Department[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Westchester County[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth_last"]July 31, 2012[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="clear"][/bscolumns]
[bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Lieutenant Joseph P. DiBernardo[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]New York City Fire Department[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Bronx County[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth_last"]November 22, 2011[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="clear"][/bscolumns]
[bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Firefighter Michael D. Sowich[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]New Hartford Fire Department[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Oneida County[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth_last"]March 2, 2007[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="clear"][/bscolumns]
[bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Firefighter Bernard E. Bauman[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Laurelton Fire Department[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Monroe County[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth_last"]August 27, 1952[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="clear"][/bscolumns]
[bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Firefighter Arthur E. Sink[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Laurelton Fire Department[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth"]Monroe County[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="one_fourth_last"]August 27, 1952[/bscolumns][bscolumns class="clear"][/bscolumns]

Captain Bob Farrell, Ladder Co. 31, FDNY, Ret., CEO of Fire Hooks Unlimited, donated a number of tools in memory of FDNY Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo. Presenting the tools to Lt. Bobby Burke (center), of the Ocean Beach Volunteer Fire Department, NY and representing the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation are retired FDNY Captain Louis Andrade (left), and retired FDNY Deputy Chief Joe DiBernardo (right).

The Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation sends it's sincere condolences to family and department of Assistant Fire Chief Jamie Middlebrook who died in the line of duty in New Carlisle, IN.

We also offer our condolences to the family and department of Lt. Jonathan French, who died in the line-of-duty when a semi crashed into the apparatus that he were riding in. His mother, also a volunteer was also injured in the crash.

Please keep them these families your prayers.

Long Island Association of Retired New York City Firefighters Help the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Foundation Keep Firefighters Safe

The Long Island Association of Retired New York City Firefighters presented a check to Chief Joe DiBernardo at their monthly meeting. Their $1,000 donation will help the Foundation provide safety training or equipment to a fire department in need.

Chief Joe DiBernardo of the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation accepts a $1,000 donation from Brennan Holmes of the Christopher J. Malvetti Memorial Fund. The check was presented at the "A Run Through the Bubble" 3K Fun Run/Walk and Barbeque to benefit the Christopher J. Malvetti Memorial Fund on Saturday, June 14, 2014.

Chill Out for the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation

Firefighters across the country are taking the Cold Water Challenge and donating to their favorite charity. Here's just one video of the response to this challenge with a donation going to the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation.

Chief Bill Rohr took the challenge, naming the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation as his favorite charity. Thank you to those who have accepted the challenge and helped the Foundation. If you cooled down for the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation, we'd love to see the video. Please share them on our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/JoeyDFoundation.

Joseph DiBernardo Jr. didn’t want to capitalize on the Black Sunday fire in which he’d been seriously injured in 2005, instead he traveled the country teaching firefighters about safety. After his death in 2011, a Memorial Foundation was established in his name to continue his work.

The Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation awarded its first grant for more than $13,000 at its second annual seminar on May 17.

Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Foundation Awards Its First Grant to New Department

On Saturday, May 17, 2014, during the 2nd Annual Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation Seminar, the Foundation awarded its first grant for over $13,000. Assistant Chief Wayne Melton, of the Mount Hope Fire Company of Otisville, New York, accepted the funds on behalf of the department. These funds that will provide 14 personal life safety rope systems to protect Mount Hope's operational members and provide training to use their new equipment.

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. The Foundation achieves its mission by holding training events that promote firefighter safety in order raise funds to support its grant program.

In 2005, Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo, also known to his friends and colleagues as "Joey D," was critically injured in a Bronx apartment fire where two firefighters perished and three others were also badly injured. A personal safety rope system, carried by fellow Rescue 3 Firefighter Jeff Cool, helped both Joey and Jeff to escape the flames by lowering themselves as far as they could from the four-story jump. After the incident, Joey traveled around the country training firefighters and sharing his story to help other firefighters. His foundation will continue this work, helping firefighters in the United States and Canada.

Additional steps have been taken in New York, to help firefighters stay safe. In August 2012, Governor Cuomo, signed into law a measure to provide New York firefighters with personal safety rope systems or emergency escape systems in the event they become trapped in an elevated structure fire.

The Foundation looks forward to providing additional training and assistance to departments to ensure the safety of firefighters across the United States and Canada. 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.

Training to Remember

Second Annual Memorial Seminar Remembers a Hero, Helps Firefighters Stay Safe

Brotherhood. Training. Safety. Firefighters from across the country met in Long Island on May 16 - 17, 2014 in memory of Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo and to hone their firefighting skills.

DiBernardo, also known as "Joey D," of the FDNY and Setauket Fire Department, died in 2011 from injuries that he sustained in a 2005 fire, known as "Black Sunday." On this sad day in FDNY history, the fire claimed the lives of two firefighters and forever changed the lives of the surviving firefighters and families. Firefighter Jeff Cool's personal life safety rope helped he and Joey to escape, as they were forced to jump from a 4-story apartment building with fire ranging behind them.

A Foundation, established in Joey's memory , aims to keep firefighters safe by providing training and grants to departments for personal life safety rope systems. Now in its second year, the annual seminar has trained over 400 firefighters and helped to provide personal life safety rope systems to a department that would not otherwise be able to afford them.

The weekend seminar kicked off with a meet and greet, where firefighters had the rare opportunity to have a one-on-one discussion with fire service leaders in a casual setting. They also had an opportunity to hear a little bit more about Joey and his passion for learning, teaching, and always striving to be a better firefighter.

On Saturday, the firefighters attended full day of training that began with an intro from Firefighter Jeff Cool, who challenged each student with a quote from Joey ¬- "Are you on the job, or into the job?" Participants had already shown that they were "into the job" by registering and attending this special day of training.

Chief Rick Lasky inspired firefighters to make their departments the best they could be, by understanding where the fire service began and fundamentals in how to instill Pride and Ownership in the department. He made firefighters laugh and touched their hearts with stories and common sense tactics to grow and keep members connected to their department and its mission. Firefighter & Officer Survival: Simple Fires with Complicated Results by Chief Billy Goldfeder challenged firefighters to learn from previous incidents to improve their size-up and decision making on the fireground. He reminded participants that have choices that not only keep them safe, but that honor those that came before; it's their choice to properly size up the scene, to listen to their officers, to follow their SOPs/SOGs, and to train like their life depends on it that will make them a better firefighter or officer.

Later in the afternoon, 2nd Assistant Chief Wayne Melton of the Mt. Hope Fire Company, was presented with a check for over $13,000 to purchase 14 life safety rope systems and related training for their department. This is the first grant that the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation has awarded since beginning their efforts to keep firefighters safe just two years ago.

Training continued with Battalion Chief Frank Montagna, who presented an in depth view of utility emergencies and ways to handle them safely. He presented several different scenarios involving natural gas and electrical power lines. The seminar concluded with Lieutenant Mark Gregory's presentation on Machinery Extrication. Students were presented a variety of specialized rescue topics and discussed the different tools, techniques, and options available to them to solve each type of problem.

With another successful training concluded and the beginning of a safety equipment grant program for fire departments, the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation hopes to preserve Joey's Legacy by keeping firefighters well-trained, well-equipped, and promoting fellowship within the fire service.

In 2015, the 3rd Annual Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Seminar will be held on May 29 - 30, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Long Island in Hauppauge, NY. More information about the next seminar or to show your support visit our website at: www.joeydfoundation.org.

Finishing Touches Being Put on 2014 Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Seminar

Chief Joe DiBernardo (ret.) meets with representatives from the Hyatt Regency Long Island hotel where the 2014 Memorial Seminar will be held.  The event is right around the corner, but there are still some seats left.  Don't wait - register to be part of this great tribute and learning experience today! Visit www.joeydfoundation.org/seminars/seminar-2014/ to register and to see the instructor line-up for this year's event.

All proceeds from the event help the Foundation to provide funding for personal rope life safety systems and firefighter safety training to departments in need.

Listen to Chief DiBernardo & Jeff Cool on Fire Engineering Talk Radio with John Walters

Chief DiBernardo and Jeff Cool talk about the mission of the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Foundation and the upcoming memorial seminar with John Walters from Sons of the Flag. (Chief DiBernardo & Jeff Cool join the conversation around 27 minute mark.)