Mayor Eric Adams has appointed Robert S. Tucker as the new commissioner of the New York Fire Department, positioning him as the 35th leader of the agency. This decision comes after Laura Kavanagh stepped down last week, having announced her intention to resign in July. Joseph Pfeifer, who temporarily served as acting commissioner under Ms. Kavanagh, will continue in that role until Mr. Tucker officially assumes his position.
Robert S. Tucker will oversee a team of 17,000 employees, including firefighters and emergency medical workers. Although he has never been a member of a fire company himself, Mr. Tucker has strong connections both within the Fire Department and with law enforcement agencies in the region.
He serves on the board of directors of the FDNY Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports the department, and is also a board member of the New York City Police Foundation and the Westchester County Police Department’s police board. Over the past months, he has contributed to Mayor Adams’s transition team, specifically working on the Public Safety and Justice Committee.
Former Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro, who served eight years in that role before retiring in February 2022, welcomes Mr. Tucker’s appointment, describing it as “good news” for the fire department. Mr. Nigro, speaking with us over the phone while awaiting Mayor Adams’s official announcement, shared positive impressions of Mr. Tucker, stating that he is a “highly intelligent” individual who “knows his way around New York.”