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“Unlike with Police Department people, nobody gets mad at Fire Department personnel because they’re always there for you,” Joseph R. Rizzo said last week of what partially prompted him to join the latter group though the former contained his father and brother Frank. “I loved serving this city and its residents for as long as I did, and I’m proud of what I accomplished.”
The native of the 2300 block of South Rosewood Street indeed established a powerful reputation during his nearly four-decade tenure battling blazes and will accept much-appreciated praise tonight when the Philadelphia Fire Department Historical Corp. and the Fireman’s Hall Museum honor him with the second entity’s inaugural Founders’ Award. For the 89-year-old, the Old City-situated ceremony will validate his long-cherished contention that “a little hard work never killed anybody.”
“I’m elated they thought to commend me,” the Avalon, N.J. resident said from Chiarella’s Ristorante, 1602 S. 11th St., where he and fellow civil servants gather weekly to reflect on their vocations. “It’s good proof that what you thought was right and proper to sustain operational integrity really was so.”
The celebration’s setting figures to prove emotional for Rizzo, who, among many endeavors in his 12-year stint as fire commissioner, had the museum transformed to include collections and additional educational options. Though he departed as a department employee 30 years ago, he has continued to promote the venue as a vital element of the Fire Prevention Division.
“It’s definitely dear to me,” Rizzo said of the spot to which he will return thanks to the Honorary Committee, which includes Bella Vista dweller James Binns, who oversees the Hero Thrill Show, the philanthropic brainchild that generates college tuition for the offspring of fallen Philadelphia police officers and firefighters. “I’ve met great people along the way, so I’ll just express my gratitude to them.”
Blessed with an immense work ethic, the octogenarian will need to prove a man of leisure as the guest of honor. He will make the trip with companion MaryAnn Sullivan and expects most of his seven children to join them for the evening. Interacting sporadically with his peers since last year’s retirement from the law firm Cozen O’Connor, for whom he worked as director of investigations, a position that bred friendships with fire and police figures from across the country, Rizzo looks forward to reminiscing and considering the future of their field.
“Aside from my family, work always resonates with me,” he said. “I think during my time that people came to respect the department intensely because it was filled with guys with good heads on their shoulders. I’m fortunate to count myself among them.”
One of four sons comprising the Rizzo clan, the retiree lived in South Philly for his first 14 years and felt a strong pull toward a life helping the public because of his patriarch and famous sibling Frank. He entered the Navy in 1943 and contributed to the nation’s World War II efforts in the Pacific campaign, with the famous Admiral William Halsey serving as a mentor. Receiving an Honorable Discharge in ’46, the commended deep sea diver and pilot of a tank lighter, who won American Area Campaign, Asiatic Pacific Campaign, Good Conduct and WWII Victory medals, contemplated a career in law enforcement but found no positions.
“Firefighting was more than a suitable backup plan,” Rizzo said of his vocation, which he divulged proved so compelling partly due to his fraternizing with fellow war veterans who shared his no-nonsense stance. “I didn’t have any initial plan about making a huge rise through the department, but I knew I wanted to do my best to protect.”
Joining the department in ’47, he became a lieutenant eight years in and a captain 10 years later. With Frank as the police commissioner from ’67 to ’71, Rizzo gained an even greater understanding of their departments’ contributions to the city’s upkeep and reveled in the opportunity to revitalize his sector in ’72, when his brother, on his first day of office as Philadelphia’s 93rd mayor, appointed him fire commissioner.
“Sure, there was talk of nepotism, but Frank believed in what I was about regardless of our relationship,” Rizzo said.
Serving under his sibling and Bill Green III, the ambitious worker made making improvements to conditions for him and his colleagues a must, as he built a new Fire Administration Building and Emergency Command Center, initiated the use of paramedics with a rescue squad, sent all officers to the National Fire Academy in Maryland for executive training, established a new fire code for high-rise buildings and orchestrated the creation of a dozen fire stations, including Engine 53, 414-16 Snyder Ave. Always eager to excel, he oversaw a well-documented era of the department’s history, which included annual recognition from the National Fire Protection Association for Excellence in Fire Prevention Activities Throughout the Community and the Freedom Foundation of Valley Forge. When Mayor Wilson Goode removed him from office, he quickly latched on with O’Connor and represented its mission for 29 years through national and international assignments.
“They treated me very well there,” Rizzo said, adding he worked so long because the joys of applying himself made him forget his age. “They’re another group of people who make me feel blessed.”
As he prepares to accept his accolade, the older adult, who has come to enjoy his domestic identity, especially for its chances to catch up on reading, has pondered his legacy with little fanfare. With honors from such entities as Alcoholics Anonymous, the American Institute for Italian Culture, the Knights of Columbus and the March of Dimes, he cannot escape the fact that many locals respect and admire his passion for his passion.
“South Philly helped me to become a man,” he said. “I’m glad I was able to help residents here and throughout the country. They inspired me.”
Contact Managing Editor Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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