The CEO of a major New York-based security firm is now the new fire commissioner of New York City, replacing Laura Kavanagh, who garnered the ire of her rank-and-file firefighters after a group heckled the state’s attorney general.
Kavanagh, the department’s first female commissioner, announced last month that she would be stepping down.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams named Robert Tucker, the CEO of T&M USA, as her replacement Monday, confirming weekend reports in the city’s three major newspapers.
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Tucker was sworn in moments after the announcement at the city’s fire academy.
“Public safety has been my life’s work,” he said. “I’ve had a long career in the public and private sector, and being appointed the fire commissioner of the City New York is the biggest honor of my life.”
Andrew Ansbro, the president of the FDNY Uniformed Firefighters Association, praised Tucker for the position in a statement Monday.
“It is great to see that the new commissioner has long and deep ties with the FDNY and a great appreciation for the rank and file of New York City’s bravest,” he said in a statement. “From his early start in communications and his hard work and life-long dedication, which led to his appointment to the Board of Directors for the FDNY Foundation, his experience makes him uniquely qualified to understand the changes that could be made to improve efficiency in the department by increasing unit availability, which would lead to a decrease in response times.”
He added that Tucker’s experience positions him to help save lives in the Big Apple.
“We wish him luck and success as he assumes the role of commissioner of the FDNY, the greatest fire department in the world,” he said.
Adams was scheduled to hold a news briefing at the city’s firefighter academy and make a public safety announcement at 11 a.m., according to the FDNY’s Twitter account.
Kavanagh kicked up a controversy in March after Attorney General Letitia James, whose office sued former President Trump for $350 million, received jeers and boos during a promotion ceremony before members of the audience started chanting the GOP candidate’s name.
While department leaders circulated a memo warning brass would “figure out” who the hecklers were, the FDNY backtracked a few days later, denying there had ever been an investigation into those who booed James.
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FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens handed down a fiery list of talking points, the New York Post reported at the time, calling the behavior “unacceptable” and saying an investigation would examine video of the event.
“BITS is investigating this, so they will figure out who the members are,” Hodgens warned in an email to high-ranking FDNY officials. “I recommend they come forward. I have been told by the Commissioner it will be better for them if they come forward, and we don’t have to hunt them down.”
BITS refers to the department’s Bureau of Investigation and Trials.
James herself said she opposed disciplining anyone involved in the interruption, she told Politico’s Playbook in March.
“The events of last Thursday will not diminish my respect for the brave men and women of FDNY,” she told the outlet days after the incident. “I will be with them now, and I will be with them tomorrow.”
However, the firefighters were still fired up on St. Patrick’s Day, when they booed Kavanagh herself during the city’s annual parade.
In addition to the spat with hecklers, her tenure was also marked by tension with department members from the bottom up. Last year, a group of demoted officials slapped her with an age discrimination lawsuit.
FDNY chaplain Pamela Holmes, who was honored at the ceremony and is friends with the attorney general, had invited her to speak at the event.
Like Kavanagh, her expected replacement never served as a firefighter. However, he is an expert on security, especially in the city’s high-rise buildings, and sits on the board of the FDNY Foundation, a nonprofit designed to support the department with public safety campaigns and equipment. He also has a lengthy background in law enforcement.
Tucker has already been named an honorary fire commissioner and police commissioner in the Big Apple. He took the helm of T&M back in 1999, according to his company bio.
“His long-standing relationship with public services, specifically his work on the board of the FDNY Foundation, gives him an insight into the complexity and culture of the FDNY,” said James Brosi, the president of the FDNY Uniformed Fire Officers Association. “His leadership and executive experience in the private sector should enable him to effectively confront the challenges of the FDNY.”
Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
