FDNY Union Official Concerned about Safety Amid Leadership Turmoil

Safety is of the utmost concern right now as turmoil swirls in the FDNY ranks.

That’s what bothers Uniformed Fire Officers’ Association President Jim McCarthy the most about the recent demotions of three deputy chiefs and subsequent relinquishment of positions by the top two FDNY officers.

“We’ve lost hundreds if not thousands of hours of expertise and skillsets. The city will be less safe without them,” McCarthy said.

Last week at a meeting, Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh announced she was demoting Assistant Chiefs Michael Gala, Joseph Jardin and Fred Schaaf to deputy chiefs.

Lt. McCarthy said it was news to both Chief of Department John ‘Jack’ Hodgens and Chief of Fire Operations John Esposito.

“They usually participate in decisions like these. They were not consulted. They were blindsided,” McCarthy said adding that it was inconceivable to them and fellow firefighters how the measure could have been made without the input of the two ranking officers.

“They (Hodgens and Esposito) felt there’s been a total lack of transparency and communications. And, they just couldn’t do it any longer. They were never kept in the loop or included…”

While the commissioner has the legal authority to make personnel shifts, the union president said the two have decades of expertise as they came up through the ranks. They know the city, the fire department, the dynamics and operations.

“It was just not the right thing to do,” he said. “It was the last straw for them. They weren’t consulted, and they felt they just couldn’t continue…”

He noted that other previous FDNY commissioners with no fire service experience relied on their top officers for their knowledge and tenure as they made decisions that would impact the department, the residents and visitors.

“We need seasoned fire chiefs to stay in the field. It’s imperative that they stay where their expertise can be utilized especially for safety….”