Miami-Dade Fire Chief honored for his critical role during Surfside Condo Collapse

Surfside, Florida – A South Florida first responder has been honored for his help during the Surfside building collapse.

Several members of the community including Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah were honored by The Coalition of South Florida Muslim Organizations.

When the Champlain Towers South collapsed in Surfside last year, Jadallah was one of the first on the scene.

Besides directing search efforts, he provided daily briefs for family members, who were anxious to find and learn more about their loved ones.

“This award is truly an honor and a privilege. And the reason behind it is, you know, my family will be here in attendance. They get to see exactly what I’ve been doing in the community,” he said. “You know, they hear it from day to day when I come home. Today, they will recognize amongst hundreds of people for them that, you know, what we do as Muslims, as a community, as humankind pays itself forward.”

He has been with Miami-Dade Fire for 21 years.