Ronald Spadafora

Spadafora was born on July 8, 1954, in the neighborhood of Ozone Park in the borough of Queens in the City of New York. He attended Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn and the received a bachelor's degree in Fire Science from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan (later he returned to John Jay as an adjunct lecturer in fire science). He then went on to obtain a second bachelor's degree from Queens College and a master's degree from the C.W Post campus of Long Island University.[2][3]

Spadafora supervised safety efforts at ground zero for the entire rescue and recovery effort following the September 11 attacks. Later he worked on recovery efforts during the days following Hurricane Sandy.

Spadafora was also a professor who taught in the emergency and disaster management program of the Metropolitan College of New York.[4]

As a writer on firefighting and fire safety Spadafora penned over fifty articles, the great majority of which are compiled in the volume "Firefighting with FDNY Chief Ronald R. Spadafora".[5]

Spadafora had a fifteen-year relationship with artist, scholar, and journalist Rhonda Roland Shearer which comtinued until his death in 2018.[6]

Spadafora died on June 23, 2018, at the age of 63. According to official records, he is the 178th member of the FDNY to have died of 9/11 related illnesses.[7]

In 2019 the city of New York named the corner of Rockaway Boulevard and 90th street in Ozone Park, Queens "Chief Ronald Spadafora Way".[8]

• Ronald R. Spadafora Papers at New-York Historical Society