Rescue 3 Firefighter Jeff Cool, FDNY (ret.), sits down with Jeremy and discusses the events of January 23, 2005, the day that has become known as “Black Sunday”. Responding to a tenement fire in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx, Firefighter Cool along with five other firefighters were forced to jump from the fourth story after their exit was trapped by advancing fire. Firefighter Cool sustained career ending injuries from a job he loved. He credits his survival to his personal rope in his pocket and his Rescue 3 brother, Joey DiBernardo.

Working in partnership with the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation, Firefighter Cool now travels across the country sharing his experience, to educate our own on the importance of personal escape systems. It is the mission of Firefighter Cool and the Foundation to preserve the sacrifice of those who were injured and for those who had lost their lives as a result of that tragic day. Raising awareness and soliciting sponsorships to fund grants for personal escape systems drives them to ensure we never forget their sacrifices. Joey DiBernardo loved the job and loved to teach. What a fitting way to see his legacy flourish by educating and protecting our own.

To hear the entire story, contact Jeff Cool through the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation at [email protected]. Schedule your lecture today and help support the Foundation and the mission of protecting our own.
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“Black Sunday” was titled by the media to describe January 23, 2005, a tragic day for the New York City Fire Department and the City of New York. Three firefighters were killed in two separate fires that fateful day; Lt. Curtis Meyran and FF John Bellew jumped to their deaths in the Bronx and FF Richard Sclafani who perished in a twofamily house fire in Brooklyn.

The Bronx fire also involved careerending injuries for several other firefighters, as they too had to jump from the fourth story of the East 178th Street tenement. Jeff Cool, Brendan Cawley, Joey DiBernardo and Gene Stolowski were all severely injured and disabled from their fall. Joey DiBernardo was promoted to Lieutenant during his extended recovery and passed away November 22, 2011 from complications of his injuries sustained that day.

Joey DiBernardo and the other survivors initiated a campaign for the issuance of personal life safety ropes for all members of the FDNY and, as a result of this fire, the FDNY did reissue ropes to all of its’ members. This mission did not stop with just New York City. They regularly spoke and lectured about the importance of personal escape systems for firefighters while telling their story and reliving that fateful January day.

After Joey DiBernardo’s passing, the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation (Joey D Foundation), was created to carry on Joey’s legacy by educating firefighters across the country about the importance of personal escape systems. Through speaking events, training seminars and sponsorships, the foundation issues grants to fire departments for personal escape systems. To date, the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation has awarded over $694,353 to departments who submitted to their grant process. Joey’s legacy lives on each day as the foundation continues to equip our own with lifesaving equipment.

Grant Information www.joeydfoundation.org/grants
Contact Information – [email protected]

“Are you on the job, or into the job?”
Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo