One year to the day after Kevin Apuzzio died in a Franklin Township fire, members of the Rutgers community and the Apuzzio family gathered in the university’s Public Safety Building to honor him by renaming the training facility the Kevin Apuzzio Training Center.
On April 11, 2006, while working as a volunteer member of the East Franklin Fire Company, Apuzzio lost his life attempting to rescue a woman trapped in her burning home. A 21-year old Livingston College senior and criminal justice major, Apuzzio had worked as an emergency medical technician in Rutgers Department of Emergency Services for more than three years.
“Kevin personified the best of Rutgers students: hard work, community involvement and a desire to help others,” said Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick. “We use this training center to prepare public safety personnel to serve and protect our community. It is only fitting that it bear Kevin’s name.”
“He was just a very special young man,” said Jay Kohl, executive director of Rutgers Division of Public Safety. “In addition to his studies and his work as an EMT and a volunteer firefighter, he also assisted in the training of his colleagues. For Kevin, working in public safety was simply a way for him to do what he loved to do – help others.”
William Scott, deputy chief of Rutgers Emergency Services, said Apuzzio was a valued member of the department who is sorely missed. “Kevin was passionate about serving the community. He brought a positive attitude and a sense of humor to whatever he did, and he earned the respect and affection of his colleagues.”
Livingston College awarded Apuzzio a posthumous degree in May 2006.
The Kevin Apuzzio Training Center, located within the year-old Rutgers Public Safety Building on Commercial Avenue in New Brunswick, serves as a classroom to enhance the knowledge and skills of Rutgers staff. It is also available for use by outside public safety and law enforcement agencies. The facility features communications, instructional and multimedia equipment. The training center also functions as the Department of Public Safety’s Emergency Operations Center.