‘Fired up’ for promotions
A Bronx blaze hero among 75
One of the firefighters who responded to the 2022 Bronx apartment blaze — the deadliest fire in New York City in more than three decades — was among 75 FDNY members promoted in a rousing ceremony Tuesday.
Jeffrey Facinelli, 47, was promoted from battalion chief to deputy chief as more than 800 friends and family members of the FDNY gathered in the Ocean Breeze track and field facility on Staten Island.
“I grew up a few blocks from the firehouse and from the age of
3, all I wanted was to be a firefighter,” Facinelli told The Post.
He was one of the first two officials to respond to the 19-story Twin Parks apartment building in Fordham Heights on Jan. 9 two years ago, arriving just minutes after the first frantic call was
made to 911. The inferno became one of the darkest days in the city’s history, taking the lives of 17 people — including eight children and an entire family of five — and injuring scores more.
The death toll could have been even worse had it not been for
the heroic work of Facinelli and his fellow firefighters who risked their lives to save others.
At the touching ceremony Tuesday, Facinelli recalled receiving advice from now-retired FDNY deputy chief Jay Jonas, who survived the collapse of the
World Trade Center’s north tower on September 11.
The newly minted deputy chief said he used that guidance while responding to Twin Parks.
“Jay Jonas came up and put his hand on my shoulder and was talking into my ear, sharing his experience with me. So In 2022, when I was acting deputy at Twin Parks, I was able to apply what he taught me,” Facinelli said.
His 17-year-old son, Ray, said he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and join the FDNY himself.
The father then chimed in, quipping: “After college, I told you!”
Facinelli was one of 14 FDNY battalion chiefs promoted to deputy chief Tuesday. An additional 25 lieutenants became captains, 33 firefighters were made lieutenants, and two firefighters were made marine wipers and another a marine pilot.
There was a collective 1,000 years of experience in the whole group.