Fire Commissioner Announces the Death of Chief Ronald R. Spadafora Due to WTC-Related Cancer
June 23, 2018
Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro today announced the death of Chief of Fire Prevention Ronald R. Spadafora, a 40-year veteran of the Department who succumbed to World Trade Center-related cancer. Chief Spadafora, who was 63 years old, is the 178th member of the FDNY to die of WTC-related illnesses.
"Ron Spadafora was a consummate professional fire chief who bravely served our city for 40 years, and toiled for months at the World Trade Center site after September 11th, leading the Department's rescue and recovery efforts," said Fire Commissioner Nigro. "In his extraordinary career, he fought fires in all five boroughs, improved training for every FDNY member, and as the Chief of Fire Prevention for the last eight years, Ron's dedication and leadership led to greater safety and protection for millions of New Yorkers.”
Chief 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. Two years later, he was promoted to Deputy Assistant Chief and was appointed to Assistant Chief for the Bureau of Fire Prevention in July 2010.
Chief Spadafora served in numerous operational leadership capacities over the span of his career. He supervised the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center Site as a Deputy Chief and became the World Trade Center Chief of Safety for the entire recovery operation. In 2003, he oversaw the Logistics Section for the FDNY during the New York City Blackout. In 2005, he was the Deputy Incident Commander with the FDNY Incident Management Team (IMT) in New Orleans, tasked with assisting the New Orleans Fire Department in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In October 2012, he served as Chief of Logistics for the preparation of Hurricane Sandy.
Chief Spadafora was a frequent contributor of WNYF Magazine, the official training publication of the FDNY. He has written numerous articles for WNYF, focused on fire operations, training, and safety. He also authored Sustainable Green Design and Firefighting: A Fire Chief’s Perspective in 2013.
He served as an Adjunct Lecturer for the Fire Science Undergraduate Program at John Jay College and for the Emergency and Disaster Management Graduate Program at Metropolitan College of New York. He holds a M.P.S. in Criminal Justice from Long Island University – C.W. Post Center, a B.S. in Fire Science from John Jay College, and a B.A. in Health Education from Queens College.
Funeral arrangements are pending.