New York’s first female fire commissioner says she’ll resign once a replacement is found
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$0 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*No charge for 4 weeks then price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.75/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/07/2024 (514 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
NEW YORK (AP) — The first female commissioner of the Fire Department of New York said Saturday that she plans to step down because it’s time to “pass the torch” after two years in the job.
Laura Kavanagh didn’t say when she plans to resign, but she said in a statement that she plans to spend the next several months helping with the transition in leadership.
“While the decision I have made over the last month has been a hard one, I’m confident that it is time for me to pass the torch to the next leader of the finest Fire Department in the world,” she wrote.
Her appointment by Mayor Eric Adams in October 2022 was seen at the time as progress for the department, which was seeking to diversify its leadership. As commissioner, she oversees a department of 17,000, including firefighters and emergency medical workers.
Adams called her a “trailblazer” in a statement, crediting Kavanagh with making improvements to the FDNY’s technology infrastructure, increasing funding for members’ health and safety, and overhauling how the department recruits and retains a diverse workforce, including women.
“While we’ve made it clear that she could have kept this position for as long as she wanted, we respect her decision to take the next step in her career,” he said.
Kavanagh has never been a firefighter herself. Prior to joining the department in an administrative role in 2014, she served as a senior adviser to former Mayor Bill de Blasio, and a campaign staffer for de Blasio and former President Barack Obama. She was named first deputy commissioner in 2018, overseeing the department’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.