The FDNY Foundation held its 2025 FDNY Foundation Dinner and the Fire Commissioner’s Humanitarian Awards on Thursday, September 4, 2025, at the FDNY Fire Academy on Randall’s Island. The Dinner honored Adena T. Friedman, Chair and CEO of Nasdaq, and raised millions of dollars to support our mission to better protect New York City. Guy Adami, CNBC commentator served as emcee.
This year’s event was record-setting in both money raised and attendance, pulling in more than $4.2 million and attracting more than 1,450 guests to “The Rock.” The money directly supports the FDNY Foundation’s mission to help provide training, equipment and education for FDNY members, as well as fire and life safety education programs for all of New York City, and more.
“We’re setting a record this year—a record that stood for many years. We are talking about the FDNY, we are talking about the FDNY Foundation in new channels and with new audiences, and it’s just building more momentum,” said FDNY Foundation Chairman Matthew J. DiLiberto. “The relationship with FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker is second to none. He is so in tune with the members in the Department and then the Foundation. It’s a natural relationship that we have. He knows how we operate. He knows where the sweet spots are with donors, and what their interests are, and by extension, he applies that to what the Department’s needs are.”
“We can’t do what we do without the FDNY Foundation, and this year’s dinner is just an amazing night where we get to say thank you to all the donors who have given so generously. It’s the largest and most successful night that we have ever had, and that’s really a tribute to the FDNY Foundation Board of Directors, to FDNY Foundation Executive Director Jean O’Shea, and really to the members of the FDNY who are doing hard work every day,” said FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker. “The success of the 2025 FDNY Foundation Dinner has to do with the FDNY and what we are doing every single day on the streets—whether it’s our EMTs, our paramedics, our fire marshals, our dispatchers, our fire protection inspectors, our firefighters. They’re performing every day, and the success of the annual dinner has everything to do with them.”
Adena T. Friedman, Chair and CEO of Nasdaq, was honored as the 2025 Fire Commissioner’s Humanitarian of the Year.
“The FDNY Foundation does an enormous amount of work to support the FDNY’s members and their families, making sure they have the right equipment for training, giving families support and also providing educational materials,” said Nasdaq CEO and Chair Adena T. Friedman. “There are so many different ways that the FDNY Foundation behind the scenes supports the FDNY.”
The FDNY Foundation also presented its annual Service Recognition Awards and the Chief William Feehan Excellence in Fire & Life Safety Awards. This year’s winners include members from both fire and EMS operations, members from the ceremonial/events/family assistance units, Public School 78, and a retired member who has volunteered more than two decades of service educating New York City’s youth.
Here’s more information on this year’s winners:
• Firefighter Michael D. Kotzo, of Ladder Company 28, was presented with a 2025 FDNY Service Recognition Award for performing two lifesaving rope rescues during a challenging top-floor fire in Manhattan in February 2024. He was honored with the Chief of Department Peter J. Ganci Jr. Medal and the NYS Honorary Fire Chiefs Association Medal—the top fire operations medal—at the FDNY’s 156th Medal Day Ceremony.
• EMTs Amber M. Black and Mitchell Tarnapolsky, both of Station 43, were presented with a 2025 FDNY Service Recognition Award for performing a lifesaving ocean rescue off Coney Island in July 2024. Thanks to their quick actions, they saved the lives of two young people. EMTs Black and Tarnapolsky were honored with the Christopher J. Prescott Medal—the top EMS operations medal—at the FDNY’s 156th Medal Day Ceremony.
• Lieutenant Joseph LaPointe, Assistant Commissioner Dominique Joseph and Director Pascale Etienne were presented with a 2025 FDNY Service Recognition Award for their work as “Team Never Forget.” From organizing memorials and ceremonies, to supporting families in their most difficult moments, to coordinating events that showcase the pride and resilience of the FDNY, these members from the Ceremonial Unit, the Family Assistance Unit and Special Events were honored for their extraordinary commitment to upholding the Department’s vow to Never Forget.
• Public School 78, a pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade school on Staten Island, was presented with a 2025 Chief William M. Feehan Excellence in Fire & Life Safety Education Award for staying committed to fire and life safety education. The school served as one of the host sites for the FDNY and the Police Athletic League of New York (PAL) educational events during Fire Prevention Month in November 2024.
• Firefighter Darrel Patterson (Ret.), of Ladder Company 118, was presented with a 2025 Chief William M. Feehan Excellence in Fire & Life Safety Education Award for his more than 20 years of work educating New Yorkers through the Department’s Fire Safety Education Unit. Firefighter Patterson retired in 2001 after 26 years of service. Over the last two decades, Firefighter Patterson has gone to schools, senior centers and other organizations to talk about fire safety and prevention.
The FDNY Foundation sends our sincere thanks and gratitude to Adena, Guy, our generous donors, and the FDNY for making this such a great event.