BRCC hosts annual Police and Fire Awards event

Honoring local heroes.

The Bay Ridge Community Council (BRCC) held its annual Police and Fire Awards event on Tuesday, April 26 at 8 p.m. at the Norwegian Christian Home, 1250 67^th Street. Community leaders, and BRRC members were in attendance to honor officers of the 68^th Precinct and firefighters of Ladder Company 109 .

The event was created to recognize and thank the men and women that protect the Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Fort Hamilton areas.

“We have been doing this for quite a number of years,” said Co-Chair of the BRCC Police and Fire Liaison Committee, Jane Kelly. “We’re very happy every year because we rely on you to protect us and we are very fortunate in this area, I’ve lived here since 1950 and, you couldn’t ask for more dedicated, more cooperative people than our police and firefighters.”

Irene Hanvey, co-chair, announced the winners and their respective accomplishments.  First honored was 68^th Precinct Police Officer Yuroslav Shvartsman. “Transferred to the 68^th Precinct in July 2008, he has worked extremely hard as a member of the Anti-Crime Team where he is currently assigned,” she said. “He has made a tremendous number of arrests, including narcotics busts, arrests for violent crimes, and DWI arrests.”

“He is one of our valiant officers. On a daily basis, he goes after hard criminals. He’s on the elite anti-crime team that I have working the day tour,” said 68^th Precinct Captain Joseph Hayward, also offering a surprise. “This is a secret. We put you on the list to become a detective a couple of days ago.”

Auxiliary Police Officer Abdelrahman Farag was also honored from the 68^th Precinct, who joined the unit in September 2014. “A.P.O Farag has put in over a thousand volunteer hours, gaining the respect of supervisors and fellow officers,” said Hanvey. “Currently a Criminal Law major at Kingsborough Community College, A.P.O. Farag plans on attending John Jay College for a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice.”

Ladder Company 109 Lieutenant Pat Mitchell, and firefighters, Daniel Sini, Christopher Lorenzo, Ralph Taliento, Steven Ramhold, and Danny Chen, were also honored.

On January 7 at around 6:15 a.m. Engine 241-Ladder 109 received a computer alarm for a motor vehicle accident on the Gowanus Expressway at approximately 66^th Street. “On arrival, what was witnessed was a multiple car accident with one vehicle that was completely entangled with three other vehicles,” said Mitchell. “Quickly and efficiently, Ladder 109 put their Hurst Tool to work, which is what we used to cut open the vehicle.”

Lorenzo was able to take the cutter and very slowly and meticulously cut an opening wide enough so firefighters could get the Jaws of Life, which Taliento was using to raise the dashboard, to get the man out. “Miraculously, the man was taken out and he had very minor injuries. He was actually released from the hospital the next day,” Mitchell added. “They did a great job that night.”