Two FDNY Members Receive the Presidential Medal of Valor

On Friday, January 3, FDNY Lieutenant John Vanderstar and Firefighter Brendan Gaffney were awarded the Presidential Medal of Valor. The Medal of Valor is the nation’s highest award for valor by a public safety officer and is presented for extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty.

The FDNY Foundation congratulates Lt. Vanderstar and FF Gaffney on this extraordinary achievement!

On October 23, 2022, Lieutenant John Vanderstar, Ladder Company 44, responded to a fire on the top floor of a nearby apartment building. Lieutenant Vanderstar bravely crawled into the apartment and located a toddler and mother. He sheltered them in place until firefighters extinguished heavy fire blocking their exit. Lt. Vanderstar removed the toddler to EMS while fellow members removed the mother. Lt. Vanderstar was awarded the Emily Trevor/Mary B. Warren Medal at the FDNY’s 2023 Medal Day ceremony.

On February 5, 2023, Firefighter Brendan Gaffney of Ladder Company 36 responded to a fire in Inwood. As the company entered the lobby, residents told them that there were victims trapped on the fifth floor. Firefighter Gaffney entered the apartment and encountered zero visibility and intense heat fueled by an exploding lithium-ion battery from an e-bike, which was blocking the occupant’s exit. Firefighter Gaffney reached the rear bedroom where victims were trapped and rescued two unconscious victims, a young child, and a pregnant woman. Firefighter Gaffney was awarded the Hugh Bonner Medal & Honor Legion Medal at the FDNY’s 2024 Medal Day Ceremony.

Lt. Vanderstar and FF Gaffney operated at great risk to themselves to save the lives of four New Yorkers. The FDNY and FDNY Foundation are proud of the work of these two members, as well as the work the members of the FDNY do each day.