FDNY commissioner to depart next month — unclear who will replace her
July 26, 2024, 8:20 a.m.
The department says there won’t be a lapse in leadership after Laura Kavanagh leaves.
New York City Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh will leave her post in less than two weeks, though it’s still unclear who will replace her.
After two years leading the largest fire department in the country as the first woman in the role, Kavanagh’s last day with the FDNY will be Aug. 7, according to the department. She originally announced her plans to resign earlier this month, saying it was time to “pass the torch to the next leader.”
Amanda Farinacci, an FDNY spokesperson, said Kavanagh has helped Mayor Eric Adams’ team search for her replacement over the past several weeks.
“Importantly, there will be no lapse in leadership,” Farinacci said in a statement on Thursday evening. It did not say who is set to succeed Kavanagh or when that person will be revealed.
Adams appointed Kavanagh commissioner on a permanent basis in October 2022, after she replaced former FDNY head Daniel Nigro on an acting basis when he retired at the beginning of that year. She previously served as the department’s first deputy commissioner for five years..
In a personal essay on the platform Medium earlier this month, Kavanagh wrote that she had wrestled with the decision to step down but made up her mind after spending some time with family and friends away from the job.
“[I]n this job, it is impossible to give your all to the FDNY and your life,” she wrote. “I learned this from our members, who make that tough choice every day. The Department needs a commissioner who can give it 100 percent of their all every day.”
Adams has praised Kavanagh as a “trailblazer” who overhauled the FDNY’s tech infrastructure, protected members’ health and increased diversity within the department.
She has also been a controversial figure within the FDNY, notably among a group of three ex-fire chiefs who sued her for allegedly demoting them because of their age. The city has denied their claims.
A spokesperson for Adams' office did not have an update to share on Kavanagh's replacement on Friday morning, and the FDNY did not immediately respond to an inquiry.
The department was founded in 1865.
This story has been updated with a response from Mayor Adams' office.
NYC Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh is stepping down FDNY to appoint first female commissioner FDNY firefighters are overwhelmingly white men. The City Council wants to change that.