Some careers are measured in years. Others are measured by the people, the department and the city left stronger because someone chose to serve.
On October 9, 2026, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the Natural Stone Foundation will come together at Il Bacco Ristorante Italiano in Little Neck, New York, to honor FDNY Chief of Department John M. Esposito with the NFFF Vigile Award for Service.
John began his FDNY career in 1991. Over more than three decades, he has served in Rescue, Hazardous Materials Operations and Special Operations Command, ultimately becoming Chief of Operations in 2022 and Chief of Department in 2024.
A Legacy That Endures
The Vigile Award takes its name from ancient Rome’s Vigiles, one of the earliest organized fire services. Their responsibility was simple but enduring: watch over the city, protect their neighbors and be there when they were needed.
That same commitment has defined generations of firefighters—and is reflected in Chief Esposito’s career.
What We Build. What We Protect.
The evening’s theme is rooted in a remarkable connection between Italy and New York.
In 1888, Italian stone carver Giuseppe Piccirilli brought his family from Massa, Italy, to New York. His sons would go on to help create some of the city’s most enduring landmarks. In 1913, Attilio Piccirilli carved the Firemen’s Memorial on Riverside Drive, a lasting tribute to New York’s firefighters.
More than a century later, that connection continues through the natural stone community and Interdependence, a sculpture incorporating recovered World Trade Center steel and created to honor the FDNY as we mark 25 years since September 11.
But Italy’s contribution to New York has never been limited to what its craftsmen could build with their hands.
It is also found in what generations of Italian artists have created with their voices.
A lasting legacy is built through the people we protect, the leaders we develop and the example we leave behind. Chief Esposito has spent more than three decades strengthening the FDNY and protecting the people of New York. The Vigile Award is a fitting tribute to that legacy.
Carved in Stone. Carried in Song.
On October 9, those two traditions will come together.
Italian opera singer Raffaello Bellavista will join us for a special performance featuring a tribute song honoring the FDNY and the heroes and legacy of September 11.
There is something fitting about telling this story through both stone and song. The Piccirilli family helped give New York a permanent monument to its firefighters. Italian opera brings another kind of permanence—using music and voice to carry memory, emotion and stories from one generation to the next.
In a city shaped in part by Italian hands and heritage, this evening will bring those traditions together to honor the people who have dedicated their lives to protecting it.
Stone preserves. Song remembers. Both carry a legacy forward.
And at the center of the evening will be Chief John M. Esposito, whose career reflects the same enduring idea: that what we do for others can leave a lasting mark.
Join Us on October 9
Be part of an evening honoring Chief John M. Esposito and celebrating the enduring connections between the FDNY, New York, Italian heritage, and the traditions that help us remember.
