Stricken NYC firefighter promoted in very emotional ceremony: Meant so much to him

It was an honor he’d been patiently waiting for.The FDNY — in an emotional ceremony Thursday — promoted firefighter Mark Dziemian, who has been hospitalized since suffering cardiac arrest while responding to a two-alarm fire in Brooklyn on March 16.Dziemian’s wife, Jackee, and their two children accepted the promotion to lieutenant on his behalf in a ceremony at the College of Staten Island.She said it was a moment her husband had been counting down to.“Mark has been looking forward to this for so long,” Jackee said.

“He took the test in 2022, and becoming a lieutenant meant so much to him.“It was really touching to look around the room to see FDNY firefighters and their families feeling what we’re going through,” she said.FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker told The Post he was “very emotional” during the event, adding that Dziemian was due for the title change.“This was a civil service promotion, and there was no question in my mind that we wanted to promote him when we reached his number, and the mayor was incredibly supportive of that as well,” Tucker said.Dziemian’s wife and children, Sophia, 4 years old, and Michael, 8 months, received a long standing ovation as they walked across the stage to accept his new rank.“I’d be surprised if there were a dry eye in that room that was filled with a lot of tough people,” Tucker said.“It was exactly how I wanted his wife and family to see how we feel about her, her family, and Mark.”During his career, Dziemian has served the FDNY in various capacities, including representing the department in the ceremonial unit at funerals, flag raisings, and other formal events.Tucker said Dziemian’s friends and coworkers have been a constant source of support for his family since his medical emergency.“Anytime a firefighter or EMT or a paramedic or frankly anybody in the FDNY gets injured in the line of duty, it is a profound event,” Tucker said.

“It is something that we all respond to.”...