Ronald Spadafora, the New York City fire department chief of safety who supervised rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, died Saturday, Newsday reported. He was 63.
The 40-year veteran died of a World Trade Center-related disease, becoming the 178th member of the FDNY to die of 9/11 illness, according the department. Spadafora was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in December 2015, Newsday reported.
“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 Sept. 11, leading the Department's rescue and recovery efforts," New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a statement. "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."
Along with supervising recovery efforts at Ground Zero, Spadafora also supervised logistics for FDNY during the 2003 New York City blackout, Newsday reported. He also worked on recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy, the newspaper reported.
Spadafora began his career as a firefighter in Brooklyn in 1978. He became assistant chief for the bureau of fire prevention in July 2010, The New York Daily News reported.
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