By Ron Jeffers
On the evening of June 7, 2024, the New Jersey and New York Volunteer Firemen’s Association held its 109th convention in Montvale, New Jersey. Established in 1913, the organization consists of some 700 members, that includes personal, company, and department memberships, covering Bergen County, New Jersey, and Rockland County, New York.
During the ceremony, awards were presented for such categories as lifesaving actions, unit citations, service milestone recognition, scholarships, etc.
The Presidential Citation Award was given to a very special person. Firefighters are known for saving the lives of civilians. It’s not every day that a civilian saves the life of a firefighter.
Lodi ex-Chief Anthony Maiolo was diagnosed with a serious illness that required him to undergo dialysis. A kidney transport would be needed to keep him alive.
Family and fire department members were tested, but none were a match.
Nancy Scaramuzzo has fire service ties due to the fact that she is the fiance of former Hasbrouck Heights Chief and retired Hackensack (NJ) Fire Department dispatcher Tony Greco. He is also a Fire Engineering and FDIC International photographer.
Nancy saw a Facebook post about Chief Miaolo’s need for a kidney, and she was tested. She was a perfect match. A successful kidney transplant was conducted on June 13, 2023.
When asked why she volunteered to donate a kidney, her answer was, “I just wanted to do a nice thing.”
