Melville Fire Chief Is 'Chief Of The Year' For Lifesaving Rescue

The Suffolk County Fire Chiefs Council recently named a Melville fire chief the "Chief of the Year" for his lifesaving efforts.

On Monday, March 12, 2018, Third Assistant Chief Jason Bernfeld was on his way to work as an NYPD officer when he noticed taillights in the woods near the westbound Round Swamp Road exit on the Northern State Parkway at 6:20 a.m.

He stopped and discovered that an overturned car was on its side down an embankment, and the driver was injured and hanging from his seatbelt, officials say. Bernfeld notified the fire department, grabbed a fire extinguisher and a seatbelt cutter from his car and quickly extinguished the flames emitting from underneath the dashboard.

The driver was freed and removed from the rear window of the car. Officials say the car became engulfed in flames minutes later.

The man who was rescued, East Northport resident Matt Connors, made a full recovery and awarded Berfeld with the Medal of Valor Award in May 2018.

Bernfeld joined the Melville Fire Department as a Junior in 2000 and became a member in 2003. He was elected Company No. 2 Lieutenant in 2008-2009, served through all the Assistant Chiefs ranks from 2010-2015, and became the youngest Chief of the Department in 2016-2017. He then became Third Assistant Chief in 2018-2019, according to PIO Steve Silverman.

Photo by Steve Silverman