John Picarello

Fire Chief John Picarello

John Picarello is the Fire Chief for the Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Department, having served in this capacity for over 30 years. Additionally, he holds a master’s degree in public administration.

At Ground Zero during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Picarello was on-site and witnessed hope rise amid all of the destruction. He recounted his memories of that day with hopefulness and optimism.

Early Life and Education

John Picarello was born in 1917 and raised in the Bronx, New York with his parents, two brothers, and two sisters.

John was an active young man who enjoyed playing sports and spending time with his friends. Additionally, he had an interest in reading books.

He holds both a bachelor’s degree in engineering and master’s degree in public administration, serving as fire chief at Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue Department, Florida.

In 2017, Picarello held its annual fire fighter poster contest for students. Several deserving students were recognized, including Ariana Cotto (two-time winner) and Camila Vaca (5th grader from Montessori Academy). At the ceremony, Picarello and Fire Marshal Sandra Lluis presented them each with a Fire Fighter bobble head trophy in recognition of their efforts.

Professional Career

John Picarello was a firefighter on the scene of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City. As part of Brooklyn’s 40th Battalion, he was near one of the World Trade Center towers when it collapsed; fortunately he was saved by an air bag but lost 24 colleagues in this horrific attack that claimed the lives of 2,779 people.

Since 2007, he has served as the USCCB’s general counsel. A renowned legal scholar and litigator, his experience includes trial and appellate work as well as a significant contribution to their landmark religious freedom case. Furthermore, his efforts have resulted in creating the conference’s Firefighter Oath–designed to help firefighters prevent burnout and promote safety among members–as well as other notable accomplishments.

Achievements and Honors

John Picarello has earned a number of distinctions, such as being named Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue chief and inducted into the School Administrators Association of New York State (SANYS) hall of fame.

His most remarkable accomplishment was being selected as the recipient of SAANYS’ top prize – The Joseph Holland Lifetime Achievement Award – for his extraordinary support of educators across multiple campuses and districts.

Another impressive accomplishment was writing a screenplay that won the Nicholl Fellowship’s best feature-length screenplay competition. Additionally, his short script was semi-finalist in Austin Film Festival’s competition – an accomplishment especially meaningful since it took place in his home state of Maine!

Personal Life

As a young man, John Picarello dreamed of becoming a concert violinist. After studying the instrument rigorously for several years, however, he gave up when it became clear that his skills weren’t good enough to support himself financially.

On the morning of September 11th, Picarello was assigned to the Brooklyn Fire Department’s 40th Battalion and standing near a staging area at the foot of the World Trade Center when it collapsed. He helped rescue some fellow Bravest Brothers from their debris pile but tragically lost 24 friends in this terrorist attack that claimed over 2,000 lives including 343 firefighters.

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