Selfless D'Onofrio Volunteers with Fire Department to Make a Difference

Matt D’Onofrio said that one day a while back, someone asked him, "What will you be remembered for when you die?"

“... And I couldn’t answer him,” D’Onofrio said. “After that, I started thinking of ways that I could, and one of the things I thought about was joining a fire department.”

D’Onofrio, a Glen Rock native and 2011 Don Bosco High School graduate, said he researched plenty of ideas but was ultimately inspired by his friend’s volunteerism as an EMT, and discovered that the Glen Rock Volunteer Fire Department offers a Junior Firefighter Program.

He saw an opportunity to answer that nagging question.

After a visit over the summer and meeting the department members, D’Onofrio was hooked. He wanted this.

But then the 18 year old D'Onofrio remembered one final obstacle: his parents.

“I thought they were going to be like, 'No, you’re crazy,' but they were really supportive and I signed up,” D’Onofrio said.

So, with his parents blessing D'Onofrio signed up and never looked back.

To this day he calls it the “proudest thing" he's ever done.

“I love knowing I know that I helped someone today and knowing that I go out there and actually do something,” D’Onofrio said. “I don’t lie around all day and play Xbox, I go out and help people and actually make a difference.”

The GRFD program selects candidates, ranging from 16 to 18-years-old, and puts them through the same training process as other firefighters – except young candidates are barred  from running into a burning building, firefighter Perry DeGrigorio said.

At least not right away.

Teenagers in the program are often initially charged with bringing tools, fans, water and ladders to working firefighters or keeping crowds at the scene of a fire calm.

These less-dangerous — but essential — duties are the task of the trainee until he or she is fully ratified into the department by the town council after two years in the training.

DeGregorio said Glen Rock’s fire department has been making efforts to raise the ranks of the volunteer members, which he said has dwindled over the past few years due to Glen Rock's changing demographics.

“National statistics show that volunteer organizations are primarily blue collar and Glen Rock is a different kind of town because it has two rail lines running through it, the town is a bedroom of Wall Street,” DeGregorio said. “It’s a changing demographic across the nation. There are less and less volunteers coming through the ranks every year.”

The Junior Firefighter Program is one such effort, with the goal of recruiting younger members and training them to become future leaders of the department, according to DeGregorio.

“The training is rigorous,” DeGregorio said. “I think that’s important because it builds up their self-esteem by learning about volunteerism and their fellow townsfolk. The training stresses team work and confidence.”

DeGregorio said character is important to the department, and as such there are other demands junior firefighters need to accomplish in order to stay in the program.

Maintaining a “C” average in high school is required, candidates' parents are often interviewed, and officers have to make the final judgment on potential recruits.

D’Onofrio said the program was not only physically demanding, but weighed on him mentally as well.

“It makes you think about everything you do,” D’Onofrio said. “I get called to help people with car accidents and fires…It makes you think, ‘That could be me in that car,’ and I’m a safer driver because of it.”

In addition to local training held during weekly meetings at the Harding Plaza station, D’Onofrio said he was required to complete 6 months of training at Bergen County Police and Fire Academy in Mahwah – something he needs to complete once he finishes his first year of college at the Pennsylvania College of Technology.

“What the program does is it teaches you how to become a team player and understand your physical and mental limitations,” DeGregorio said. “It teaches [you] how to work under pressure and execute under that pressure flawlessly…These kinds of things really build character.”

DeGregorio said he sees these qualities in D’Onofrio and other members of the program.

“Matt is a really bright young man,” he said. “He has a strong commitment and he is mature for his age, I think he’s good at what he does and I know he gets some sort of personal satisfaction, or reward for doing this.” 

If you know a local teen — male or female — who may be interested contact Firefighter Perry DeGregorio at 201-759-9264.