On February 28, 2024, the FDNY lost another beloved member due to a September 11-related illness with the passing of Captain Steven Berube, a 38-year member of the FDNY.
Born on April 8, 1960, Captain Berube was a graduate of Mineola High School’s Class of 1978 and attended St. John’s University.
He began his fire service involvement as a volunteer with the Mineola Volunteer Fire Department from the late 70s until the early 80s. In December 1985, Steve got the call from the FDNY and was sworn in. After his academy graduation, he was assigned to Engine 222 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He spent eight years at “Triple Deuce” before transferring to Ladder 120 “Watkins Street,” where he received the knowledge and skill needed to be a valuable part of a truck company. In 1997, Steve was promoted to lieutenant and in 1998 was assigned as a founding member/officer of Ladder 133 in South Jamaica, Queens, where he honed his leadership skills. In 2004, Steve was proudly promoted to captain. In 2006, Ladder 111 “The Nuthouse” in Bedford-Stuyvesant became Captain Berube’s final home when he was named its commanding officer. He held that position until his retirement in July of 2023 and had the distinction of being Ladder 111’s longest serving company commander.
Captain Berube became a member of the FDNY Incident Management Team after volunteering with the FDNY to head to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. He rose to the rank of deputy incident commander with the FDNY team and was also involved with the Southwest Incident Management Team 1. His involvement with both teams brought him to Los Alamos, NM; Prescott, AZ; Buffalo, NY; and Homestead and Panama Beach, FL, to name a few. He was honored to be the lead public information officer for the Granite Mountain Hotshot Memorial in July 2013 honoring the loss of the 19 wildland firefighters who perished fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire near Prescott, Arizona. Steve was proud to be invited to New Zealand in September of 2022 for the New Zealand Fire Department’s annual 9/11 Memorial ceremony and Sky Tower stair climb.
Steve was a devoted and loving husband to Beth; father to Matthew, Kyle, and Paige; father-in-law to Ashley; and brother to Jeff and to Glenn, who proudly served with him in the FDNY.
Steve served in the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001, and for several months afterwards. In February 2023, he was diagnosed with 9/11-related pancreatic cancer. He passed away in February 2024. He is deeply missed by his family and friends, as well as his FDNY, SWIMT, and New Zealand Fire families.
You are so deeply missed Steve. You were more than my cousin, you were my best friend. I honor you every day. Rest easy Steve, we have your back
– Kevin Lucia