Wanted: Vision, Skills and Compassionfor Career with FDNY

Filing Period for FDNY Open Competitive Exam Open Through August 9

In 2022, Mayor Adams appointed Laura Kavanagh as commissioner of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) overseeing day-to-day administration of the agency’s 17,000 employees with a $2 billion budget. In his comments on Kavanagh’s previous decade of FDNY work, the mayor praised her direction of “a firefighter program that resulted in the most diverse applicant pool in the department’s history.”

He also said that she had “the vision, the skills and the compassion to lead the FDNY into the future.”

Commissioner Kavanagh, now with a total 12 years of experience working as a “dedicated servant” and “crisis-tested leader” in the words of Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, on behalf of FDNY’s missions, continues to fulfill the departmental missions. Ethnic groups of color represent 28% of firefighters, an increase of 14% from 2014.

Two years after her swearing in, she is building on the City’s effort to implement new technology to support the department and brave firefighters. She also has developed and is leading one of the most ambitious diversification efforts in the city’s history.

The current campaign showcases the backgrounds and motivations of 10 current FDNY firefighters, each with a unique background — including Jason Powell profiled in these pages. All share a commitment to serving the city.

In addition to general promotion highlighting the benefits of joining the FDNY, including the extensive training, environment, and competitive salaries and retirement packages, Commissioner Kavanagh, herself, is on the ground delivering the message directly to the neighborhoods where potential candidates call home.

She has addressed congregations at houses of worship throughout the city, including Brooklyn, and will make additional visits to churches in coming weeks.

“The FDNY is the best fire department in the world, and we are looking for candidates with the unique combination of qualities that make an FDNY firefighter,” she said. “This is a high-stakes, critical thinking job that attracts candidates with bravery, skill, and are called to public service.

We know there are young people with those qualities across our five boroughs, and we encourage them to sign up to join our FDNY family.”

Commissioner Kavanagh’s message references the story of another history maker who held the same office with similar public service tasks, six decades ago. Robert Oliver Lowery (April 20, 1916 – July 24, 2001), was the first Black commissioner of New York City’s Fire Department.

He also was President, multiple times, of the Vulcan Society (a group of active and retired Black firefighters and civilians in the FDNY founded in 1940 to fight racial discrimination in the department and promote Black career achievements and fire safety). Lowery joined the FDNY in 1941, assigned to Ladder Company 34 in Manhattan.

He served as a Fire Marshal for 17 years; held the rank of Acting Lieutenant, responsible for establishing a community relations program for the Bureau of Fire Investigation; and in 1961 was appointed Deputy Fire Commissioner, charged with increasing diversity within the ranks of the Department.

In 1966, he was sworn in by Mayor John V. Lindsay as FDNY Fire Commissioner, serving in that position for eight years until his resignation in 1973.

“He was a trailblazer,” Commissioner Kavanagh told Our Time Press. “It’s an essential part of his legacy (that all New Yorkers) understand how much he had to overcome, what was going on in our city back then — that he was not allowed to sit at the table, yet he overcame those odds to become Fire Commissioner of a major U.S. city.

He was a member of the Vulcans. It’s a testament to him that he didn’t let animosity or hostility or discrimination towards him dissuade him from carrying out his objectives.

In addition to his recruitment work, he brought upgrades to equipment, technology, and protocols that improved responses to emergencies, and he made it a mission to actively mentor and recruit minorities, opening the door so the Department would look more like the city it served. His ideals hold true to this day.”

Fifty-six years separate the appointments of Commissioner Lowery, the First African American (1966), and Commissioner Kavanagh, the first woman and 34th Fire Commissioner (2022). In response to Our Time Press request for a comment, Kavanagh said, “Every fire commissioner is going to face challenges” but Lowery faced more than others. “Commissioner Lowery came up the ranks in a very divided department.

Black firefighters were not allowed to eat at the same table or sleep in the same quarters as their white counterparts. His appointment did have its detractors, but that didn’t stop him from modernizing the Department in terms of equipment and technology. And it certainly didn’t stop him from advancing diversity among the ranks.

“The role of fire commissioner is about being a public servant. Every decision made comes with an eye towards improving the safety of all New Yorkers,” she said. “Recruitment and diversity in the firefighter ranks continues to be a priority of FDNY Commissioners. We encourage anyone who is interested in FDNY to sign up for the exam and take advantage of the many opportunities the Department offers throughout the hiring process to learn about the job and the skills needed to do well on the test.

To Our Time Press’ query about career possibilities, outside the role of firefighter, in the department related to saving lives, she offered, “Outside of being a firefighter or EMT in our public facing roles, there are lots of other opportunities in the FDNY. The Department is more than 17-thousand strong, made up of dedicated and passionate people, in uniform and civilian.

Our Bureau of Fire Prevention ensures businesses adhere to fire codes and inspect occupancies for dangerous life hazards. Fire alarm dispatchers are critical to our responses. Our civilian employees work behind the scenes in bureaus like fleet services and buildings to ensure our department runs smoothly.

The FDNY launched its firefighter recruitment campaign in the hopes of attracting people from all neighborhoods and backgrounds, who share a common goal of serving the public and saving lives.”

The filing period for the FDNY firefighter open competitive exam is now open and runs until August 9, marking the first exam in nearly seven years due to COVID-related delays. The FDNY offers resources such as free prep sessions for the written exam and workout sessions to aid candidates in training for the physical test.

Interested applicants should sign up at https://firefighter.joinfdny.com/ or email recruitment@fdny.nyc.gov for information on how to register for the firefighter exam’s open filing. –by Bernice Elizabeth Green