NOFD appoints interim fire chief Roman Nelson

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The New Orleans Fire Department announced Friday that they have appointed an interim Superintendent.

Roman Nelson, will assume the rank as interim fire chief, replacing retiring chief, Tim McConnell. Nelson has been with the fire department since 1997.

"Superintendent Tim McConnell has served the NOFD honorably for 36 years, and his dedication and drive have made New Orleans a safer place to live,” New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said in a statement.

“For the past seven years as Chief, he has guided the New Orleans Fire Department through a historic period of transformation, focusing on fire prevention on the front-end and ensuring his firefighters are given the pay and benefits they deserve. Most recently — his leadership was critical during our response to the Hard Rock collapse. As our Incident Commander on the scene, he helped to bring the precarious cranes down in those early weeks, and later presided over the removal of the remaining victims with dignity and respect. He has been a vital asset to my public safety leadership team, and a good friend.”