NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Mayor Eric Adams swore in Laura Kavanagh as FDNY commissioner during a ceremony at FDNY Engine 33/Ladder 9 in Manhattan on Thursday.
Kavanagh is the first woman to officially lead the FDNY in the department’s 157-year history.
She’s now in charge of 17,000 employees and a $2 billion budget.
“Her style of leadership and commitment is a reflection of what this city has to offer,” said Adams at the ceremony. “Yes, this is historic — the first woman to lead the largest fire department in the country.”
Kavanagh was made acting commissioner in February, when former commissioner Daniel Nigro retired. Thursday’s ceremony formalizes her post.
Adams praised Kavanagh’s work responding to the Ebola outbreak, managing the department’s COVID-19 plan and organizing a recruitment program that helped diversify the department.
She joined the FDNY in 2014. Before that she worked as a special assistant to former Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“To say it is the honor of a lifetime is an understatement,” said Kavanagh at the ceremony. “Our city, our department stands above the rest…This city is the love of my life and I am relentlessly optimistic about its future.”
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