FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker to Preside at Annual Medal Day Ceremony

June 3, 2025

The Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) Commissioner Robert S. Tucker will preside at the FDNY's annual Medal Day Ceremony on Wednesday, June 4th at 11 a.m. at City Hall Plaza – Centre Street and Park Row. At the ceremony, medals will be presented to FDNY Firefighters, Paramedics, EMTs, Fire Marshals, and Officers for their lifesaving work at rescues in 2024. The ceremony can be viewed live on the Department's website at www.nyc.gov/FDNY or HERE.

Notable medal recipients include:

• Firefighter Michael Kotzo will receive the Chief of Department Peter J. Ganci Jr. Medal and NYS Honorary Fire Chiefs Association Medal for his participation in two roof rope rescues during a Harlem fire. In total, six medals will be awarded for meritorious acts at this fire.
• EMT Mitchell Tarnapolsky and EMT Amber Black will receive the Christopher J. Prescott Medal for their water rescue of two children in Coney Island in 2024.
• A new medal will be awarded at this year's ceremony – the Dr. Sheldon Jacobson Award. Awarded to Paramedic Franklin Kupferberg, it will be given annually to recognize a paramedic who demonstrates stellar, advanced life-saving skills and service. The medal honors the legacy of Dr. Sheldon Jacobson, the visionary who launched NYC's first paramedic program at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx in 1974.

WHO: FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker, Chief of Department John Esposito, Chief of EMS Operations Michael Fields, FDNY Officials, medal recipients and their families

WHERE: City Hall Plaza – Centre Street and Park Row

WHEN: Wednesday, June 4, 2024 – 11 a.m.

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