John DeBlasio rescued people from burning buildings 4 times in his 23-year career
By Dan Higgins
The Times Union
Copyright 2007 The Hearst Corporation
All Rights Reserved
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - A Schenectady firefighter recognized for risking his own life to save others many times during his career retired Thursday.
John “Jocko” DeBlasio joined the fire department on Sept. 29, 1983. Early Thursday morning, Schenectady Fire Chief Robert Farstad read a salute to DeBlasio over the two-way radio, a tradition used to honor firefighters on their last day on the job.
During his career DeBlasio was credited with four rescues in which he personally pulled people from burning buildings. Many worthy firefighters can go their entire careers without one, Farstad said. “So it’s pretty special,” he said. Twice, DeBlasio rescued people from the same building on Jay Street in two different fires in the 1990s.
In 1989, he was among a group of firefighters who received commendations for rescuing two people from a burning apart ment above the Hudson Grill restaurant. A 52-year-old woman lost her life in that fire, later ruled an arson.
On Jan. 19, 1996, a night of floods, mudslides and fire in which the department received a record 289 calls, DeBlasio rescued a man found shackled to a chair inside a burning home on Craig Street, Farstad said.
DeBlasio’s co-workers call him an “old-school” firefighter, a tough guy who learned his trade on the job. Today, many firefight ers come to the department with college degrees or paramedic training.
DeBlasio spent four years as the union president. He lives in Rotterdam.
On his last day at work, he described his feelings as “bittersweet.” For now, he said, he’ll relax at home in Rotterdam. He hopes to eventually build a house in Charlton.
“As for the long-term, though, I have no idea,” he said.