Kavanagh was greeted with jeers and boos as she stepped to the podium Tuesday morning during the departments promotion ceremony. An FDNY deputy assistant chief who claims he was passed over for promotion to assistant chief for refusing to renounce letters to the editor he wrote decades ago relative to merit based testing, has filed suit alleging the city violated his First Amendment rights. if (document.mmm_fo) document.write ("&mmm_fo=1"); 90+ CONTRIBUTORS! Embattled FDNY boss Laura Kavanagh named a decorated, retired former assistant chief as her first deputy commissioner on Saturday. FDNY Union Official Concerned about Safety Amid Leadership Turmoil, President Biden to Headline IAFF Legislative Conference, Blackline Safety Announces Key Promotions and Leadership Changes, Bryant's Widow Reaches $28.5M Settlement over Leaked Crash Photos, Idea of Training Cops as Firefighters Drawing Ire from MA Union, International Association of Fire Fighters - IAFF. Hodgens and the other chiefs asked to be reassigned after Kavanagh demoted Assistant ChiefsFred Schaaf,Michael GalaandJoseph Jardinto deputy chief, and then called other top chiefs on the carpetin a closed doorFeb. 3meetingwhere she demanded more out of the box thinking and fewer inquiries about vacation rollovers and personal cars. Join FDNY: What's it like working in the same place as your spouse? Pfeifer who lost his brother Kevin, an FDNY lieutenant during the 9/11 rescue efforts said in a statement hes glad to be back. 2023 New York Daily News. The commissioner, who is currently facing a mutiny by her. Enter https://www.firerescue1.com/ and click OK. (He) created partnerships and programs that enhanced the safety and training of our members, and has always been there for our city, especially on our darkest days. What has not come to my desk is a plan to make our members safer, Kavanagh fumed. The appointment will undoubtedly tamp down criticisms by department staff chiefs that Kavanagh the citys first woman fire commissionerdoesnt include them in her staff movesand makes decisions for the department with a tight circle of aides with little or no firefighting experience. As of Friday, at least six staff chiefs, including Chief of Department John Jack Hodgens, the most senior uniformed official in theFDNY,have asked to be demoted to deputy chief and be moved back to the field, claiming that theres been a complete breakdown of communication between Kavanagh and the FDNYs highest uniformed ranks. The FDNY Fire Zone is located at 34 W. 51st St., Manhattan. She is showing she is the boss, and theyre fighting back, the source said. Additionally, breaches of trust coupled with a lack of communication and transparency have further led me to this difficult decision, according to The New York Post reporters who reviewed the letter he sent. Battalion Chief List. document.write ("'><\/scr"+"ipt>"); By FireRescue1 Staff. As the departments First Deputy Commissioner, retired Assistant ChiefJoseph Pfeifer, 67, will hold the second-highest civilian rank in theFDNY, the department said. if (!document.MAX_used) document.MAX_used = ','; Chief Joe Pfeifer embodies what it means to be New Yorks Bravest, being the first chief to respond to the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11 and founding the departments Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness, said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Therefore, I am respectfully requesting a return to a field assignment in my civil service title of deputy chief effective [at 9 a.m.] Monday, March 6th, 2023. The retired chief said he is looking forward to his new challenge. Accomplishments if (document.referrer) document.write ("&referer=" + escape(document.referrer)); January 1, 1934 January 18, 1934 (acting). What has not come to my desk is a list of things to bring into bargaining to pay our members more. Chief Joseph Pfeifer is credited with founding the FDNY's Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness. Please enter valid email address to continue. There was no need for this. Before being named acting fire commissioner last February and then being appointed to the post permanently in October, Kavanagh served as first deputy commissioner under her predecessor Daniel Nigro, earning $242,767 at the time. FireRescue1 is revolutionizing the way the fire service community Fire Safety. Retired Asst. This was his second non-consecutive term. These events have resulted in a serious breach of trust with my subordinate personnel, he wrote.