Rizzo Honored
For his “outstanding leadership since 1972 in making the Philadelphia Fire Department one of the nation’s Finest,” Fire Commissioner Joseph R. Rizzo received the Poor Richard Club’s Gold Medal of Achievement Award last January.
Annually on Jan. 17, Benjamin Franklin’s birthday, the Poor Richard Club, Philadelphia’s advertising club honors the person whose achievements have closely followed the ideals and spirit of Franklin.
Rizzo joined the fire department in 1947. He held the positions of lieutenant and captain before being promoted to battalion chief in 1965. He was appointed fire commissioner and director of civil defense in January 1972.
He is a member of the board of trustees of the Burn Foundation of Greater Delaware Valley and has sponsored numerous fundraising drives for the foundation. He is a lifetime member of the Philadelphia Fire Officer’s Union and an honorary member of the Philadelphia Fire Department Historical Corporation, which sponsors Firemen’s Hall, a national fire museum. Rizzo also served on the Governor’s Commission on Fire Prevention and Control for the State of Pennsylvania.
