In a ceremony of solemn gratitude, President Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Valor to two members of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) for their bravery. This honor recognizes exceptional bravery by public safety officers. Lt. John Vanderstar and firefighter Brendan Gaffney were the recipients.
According abc7NY, Vanderstar's bravery occurred on Oct. 23, 2022, during a Bronx apartment fire. He saved a mother and daughter from danger by navigating through flames. Gaffney showed similar courage on Feb. 5, 2023, when he entered a burning building in Inwood twice to rescue an unconscious child and a pregnant woman.
President Biden expressed admiration for their actions, saying, "They allowed people to continue their lives in ways that they never would have been able to." He added, "There’s a lot fewer empty chairs around the kitchen table and dining room table because of what these guys did. And what they did is — is amazing. They literally put their lives at risk — some of them at the point that you wonder how they could have had the nerve to do it," in a statement obtained by the New York Daily News.
Also recognized were law enforcement officers involved in a deadly shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 27, 2023. "Every day, FDNY members do amazing work serving the people of New York. We are incredibly proud of Lieutenant Vanderstar and Firefighter Gaffney for receiving the Medal of Valor for their extraordinary actions," FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker told the New York Daily News.
Vanderstar responded to a fire after a neighbor alerted his firehouse. Despite a lack of water, he evacuated the mother and daughter. Gaffney used a door as a shield to rescue a child and pregnant woman, performing CPR until paramedics arrived. All survivors of these rescues miraculously survived.
