Ronald Spadafora

Ronald Spadafora (July 8, 1954 – June 23, 2018) was an American firefighter and the fire chief in charge of fire prevention for the FDNY, notable for his service supervising the entire safety operation during the rescue and recovery efforts at ground zero following the September 11 attacks and for his writing on firefighting, fire safety, and firefighting gear.[1][2]

Life

Spadafora was born on July 8, 1954, in the neighborhood of Ozone Park in the borough of Queens in the City of New York. He attended Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn and the received a bachelor's degree in Fire Science from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan (later he returned to John Jay as an adjunct lecturer in fire science). He then went on to obtain a second bachelor's degree from Queens College and a master's degree from the C.W Post campus of Long Island University.[3][4]

Spadafora began his career at Engine 237 in Brooklyn in 1978. He transferred to Squad 1 in 1979 and then to Ladder 105 in 1981. In 1984, he moved to Engine 219, where he was later promoted to Fire Marshal and worked at the Bureau of Fire Investigation, until he was promoted to Lieutenant in 1986. He spent three years at Battalion 33, where he was later promoted to Captain in 1989. After spending a year as a Captain in Division 15, he transferred to the Bureau of Fire Prevention in 1990. After three years, he moved to Ladder 150 in Queens, where he was promoted to Battalion Chief in 1996. After four years at Battalion 4 in lower Manhattan, he was promoted to Deputy Chief in 2000. Spadafora supervised safety efforts at ground zero for the entire rescue and recovery effort following the September 11 attacks. Later he worked on recovery efforts during the days following Hurricane Sandy. In 2002, he was promoted to Deputy Assistant Chief and was appointed to Assistant Chief for the Bureau of Fire Prevention in July 2010.[1]

Spadafora was also a professor who taught in the emergency and disaster management program of the Metropolitan College of New York.[5]

As a writer on firefighting and fire safety Spadafora penned over fifty articles, the great majority of which are compiled in the volume "Firefighting with FDNY Chief Ronald R. Spadafora".[6]

Spadafora had a fifteen-year relationship with artist, scholar, and journalist Rhonda Roland Shearer which continued until his death in 2018.[7]

Death and legacy

Spadafora died on June 23, 2018, at the age of 63. According to official records, he is the 178th member of the FDNY to have died of 9/11 related illnesses.[1][8]

In 2019 the city of New York named the corner of Rockaway Boulevard and 90th street in Ozone Park, Queens "Chief Ronald Spadafora Way".[9]

References
  1. "Fire Commissioner Announces the Death of Chief Ronald R. Spadafora Due to WTC-Related Cancer". New York City Fire Department. June 23, 2018. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  2. "FDNY chief who worked at Ground Zero dies at 63". Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  3. Board, Daily News Editorial. "A life of service: Remembering FDNY Chief Ronald Spadafora - NY Daily News". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  4. "Ronald Spadafora Obituary - Frank E. Campbell The Funeral Chapel | New York NY". obits.dignitymemorial.com. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  5. G, Tina (June 25, 2018). "MCNY Professor Ronald Spadafora - FDNY Veteran Succumbs to 9/11-Related Cancer". MCNY. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  6. "Firefighting with FDNY Chief Ronald R. Spadafora – FDNY Pro". Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  7. Jada Yuan (May 7, 2020) [2020-05-06]. "New York's patron saint of PPE went $600,000 in debt to outfit workers — and hospitals keep turning her down". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
  8. "Supervisor of 9/11 Recovery Dies of Cancer". Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  9. "Queens Street Renamed For 9/11 Hero FDNY Chief Ronald Spadafora". June 14, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
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