Local 22 Philadelphia Firefighters & Paramedics

IAFF Local 22 mourns the tragic murder of PA State Trooper Corporal Timothy O’ Connor last night. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.💙🖤💙🖤💙

IAFF Local 22 would like to thank DC 33 members along with President Greg Boulware for their hard work to keep the streets clear. DC 33’s efforts are vital in snow storms, enabling our members in fire apparatus and medic units to respond to citizens’ emergencies. 🚒🚑🔥❄️

Citizens, please be aware that the City has put in place an ill-advised plan during the snow emergency. They are having police officers certified as EMTs respond to medical and trauma dispatches normally handled by IAFF Local 22 paramedics and EMTs. We have no idea what equipment and experience they may have or if they even know the correct hospital to take patients to. We also believe  that State Law states that patients should be transported in certified medic units, not police vehicles. Be careful out there and stay safe.

Yesterday, IAFF Local 22 members operated on a challenging water rescue on the Schuylkill River under the JFK Bridge. Local 22 members responded to a confirmed report of a man in the river on the ice near the abutment of the bridge. 🚒 Squad 47 & Rescue 1 (Special Operation companies) immediately went to work. 🚒 Ladder 9 members upon arrival did an outstanding job quickly getting a life ring to the victim to keep him afloat and utilized their 100’ main arial Ladder to launch a Squad 47 member into the icy river. Our members were operating under extremely hazardous icy conditions, members utilized high-angle and ice rescue techniques to secure the victim to give him a fighting chance Great job by all our members involved. Their dedication, training, teamwork, and professionalism keep citizens safe every day. Please remember — no ice is safe ice. Stay off frozen waterways.

As we observe Labor Day, the IAFF Local 22 proudly salutes our Local 22 members, whose tireless efforts and unwavering solidarity are an inspiration to us all. Even as many families relax and recharge, our members remain steadfast, prepared to spring into action at any moment. We honor your selflessness, bravery, and unwavering dedication to keeping our city and its citizens safe and secure. Happy Labor Day.

This morning at 5:56 am IAFF Local 22 members responded to a 5-story middle of the row type apartment building in the 300 block of North Front Street. Members arrived to find heavy fire on the roof deck section of the structure. The Fire was rapidly spreading left and right or horizontally to other dwellings. Engine 8 and Ladder 2 from the Old City Firehouse located at 4th and Arch Streets. Just a few blocks from where Ben Franklin, the Fire Departments’ founding father is laid to rest were first in, and the rest of the responding companies especially Engine 29 and Rescue 1 (Special Operations company) on the initial first alarm worked in unison to stop the fire spread and knock the flames down like a well-oiled machine. The fire was contained placed under control at 6:44 am because of our great local 22 members.

Did you know there will only be approximately 47 paramedics on the street tonight? That is roughly 1 paramedic per 33,500 citizens in our city of 1.5 million people. Our EMTs will be out there also, they are highly skilled and dedicated as they come, but are limited to their level of training when it comes to serious trauma and medical calls. Please be careful out there tonight and avoid participating in any violent or dangerous activities. End your night at home with your loved ones and not in a hospital. ALL of our EMS providers are OVERWORKED and UNDERPAID!!!🚑🚑🚑

We can get this done if we work together for our city!

@josephspicozzi We got your back Senator Picozzi! Keep ip the good work!

Republican State Senator Joe Picozzi is a welcome fresh face to the political scene of Philadelphia that has been in the Democratic party’s control for almost 80 years. He is bringing new ideas to increase safety, security, and accountability to SEPTA. Unlike a lot of career politicians, Joe realizes that public safety is an elected official’s #1 priority. Public safety goes hand in hand with financial responsibility. SEPTA may have its own police force, but they DO NOT have their own EMS department. Our already busy EMS members have the responsibility to care for the victims of crime on SEPTA. On July 4th, a 66-year-old man was stabbed standing on a SEPTA platform and rushed by our members to the ER where he was in critical condition. Crime leading to violence is SO bad on SEPTA and has not been prosecuted properly by LET EM OUT LARRY, that PA State Attorney General, Dave Sunday has appointed a Special Prosecutor for mass transit to focus on victimization of SEPTA riders and personnel. The Special Prosecutor has already adopted approximately 40 criminal cases. The focus is to increase the level of safety for SEPTA’s ridership and to restore confidence in the ability to provide SAFE transportation. Keep up the great work, Senator Picozzi, so our Local 22 members, especially our highly experienced paramedics, which the city is already short of, can stay covering the mean streets of Philly. That is where they are sorely needed, not having to respond to additional violent incidents on SEPTA. Thank you for your attention to this matter! -President Mike Bresnan

This morning of July 23, 2025, at approximately 5:45 am IAFF Local 22 members were dispatched to the 3100 block of Stirling St. on the edge of the Wissinoming and Mayfair neighborhoods.  Engine 52 from Harbison Ave. and Van Kirk St. responded first, and upon arrival, members were met with heavy fire and smoke conditions emanating from a middle-of-the-row porch front-type dwelling. Hose lines were immediately stretched to attack the flames, allowing search and rescue members to aggressively enter the dwelling and search for occupants. Two children were discovered during the search through thick smoke and heat conditions and removed to paramedics’ hands. They began advanced life-saving measures on the children, who were then rushed to the hospital. Tragically, an adult occupant was also found deceased in the dwelling. The fire also spread to an adjoining dwelling. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this terrible fire.

Two of our IAFF Local 22 members, with the HUGE HEARTS, were guests on Fox 29’s ‘Good Day Philadelphia’ to spread the word about the overwhelming love and support for Ramesses, a nine-year-old boy severely burned in the Northeast Philadelphia Medical plane crash on January 31st of this year, has received from Philly and the world. Ramesses is currently in a burn victim unit in Boston and still has a long road to recovery. We want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has generously donated and has shown their unwavering support to this young, brave fighter.

We are ecstatic to announce the City of Philadelphia is now accepting applications for the position of Firefighter. Salary $64,982.00 -$90,253.00 annually with additional overtime earnings possible and a four-day-on, four-day-off rotating schedule. Please consider joining one of the most rewarding professions on planet Earth with one of the best fire departments in the country who prides itself in saving lives and property. If you are hired, you will also be able to join IAFF Local 22 Firefighters and Paramedics Union with the greatest benefit package in the city. governmentjobs.com/careers/phila/…

It was an honor to have Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson swear-in the members of the Executive Board and Home Association Directors on Tuesday, July 1st. We had some beneficial conversations regarding the new Fire Service Paramedic apprenticeship program that will be dedicated to hiring new medics in the city of Philadelphia. We look forward to serving our members moving forward  to ensure their safety and well-being . Thank you for your attention to this matter! -President Mike Bresnanl

This morning, at approximately 6:30 a.m., over 150- IAFF Local 22 Firefighter and EMS members bravely fought a blaze after several buses caught fire at a SEPTA bus graveyard in the 2400 block of Roberts Avenue in the Tioga-Nicetown section of Philadelphia. The buses being parked so close together resulted in rapid fire spread to adjacent buses and severe access problems for firefighters. Multiple elevated master streams were put in service by members that threw thousands of gallons of water to tame the blaze. The fire escalated to 3 Alarms by 7:25 a.m., emitting thick, black, and acrid smoke that could be seen from miles away. Despite the immense size of the fire, our members managed to control it successfully by 8:08 a.m., and thankfully, no injuries were reported. 📸 credit- @philly2ndalarmers🙏🏼

IAFF Local 22 was presented with a generous donation of $30,000 to our Widows Fund (Charitable Trust Fund) from the Dorothy and Anthony Bardaro Foundation, who are the aunt and uncle of Philadelphia Fire Captain Mike “Rocky” Sgrillo and his wife, Mary Beth. We are extremely grateful to the Bardaro Foundation, especially their Executive Directors, Janet Maldorado and Rita Shiazza, for their generosity and support of our Widows Fund at Local 22. The Widows Fund directly assists the nearly 800 widows of Local 22 deceased members. It’s donations like this and the annual donations from our members that help us hopefully lift the spirits of our widows  around the Thanksgiving/Christmas Holidays. If anyone would like to contribute to our Widows Fund, please send to “Local 22 Charitable Trust” at 415 N. 5TH Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123

Brothers and Sisters, IAFF Local 22 is deeply saddened to announce the passing of one of our own, Battalion Chief John Narkin, who lost his battle to duty related CANCER. B. C. Narkin was a Philadelphia Firefighter with over 28 years of service that responded to many types of incidents including fire, medical, and hazardous materials in all types of environments. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all his family and friends and to his brothers and sisters of the Philadelphia Fire Department. God bless him. He will truly be missed. RIP brother. -President Mike Bresnan, Local 22

IAFF Local 22 members also hold the rank of EMT and EMTA –(Emergency Medical Technicians and Advanced ones). You will also see them staffing the Fire Department Medic Units. Currently, we have approximately 118 EMTs and 20 Advanced EMTAs. These members, along with our Paramedics, who we will highlight tomorrow, are the backbone of the fire department when it comes to handling the high volume of EMS incidents throughout the city. The city averages approximately 700 to sometimes over 1,000 -911 calls for medical assistance a day. These members respond from call to call and at times all day and night. Their dedication and service are second to none. They are a valuable, experienced, and skilled asset to the citizens of the city. If you see them on the street, please thank them for their service; we truly appreciate them.