New York's first female fire commissioner says she will resign once a replacement is found

NEW YORK — The first female commissioner of the Fire Department of New York said Saturday that she plans to step down because it's time to “pass the torch” after two years in the job.

Laura Kavanagh didn't say when she plans to resign. But she said in a statement that she plans to spend the next several months helping with the transition in leadership.

“While the decision I have made over the last month has been a hard one, I’m confident that it is time for me to pass the torch to the next leader of the finest Fire Department in the world,” she wrote.

Her appointment by Mayor Eric Adams in October 2022 was seen at the time as progress for the department, which was seeking to diversify its leadership. As commissioner, she oversees a department of 17,000, including firefighters and emergency medical workers.

Adams called her a “trailblazer” in a statement, crediting Kavanagh with making improvements to the FDNY's technology infrastructure, increasing funding for members' health and safety, and overhauling how the department recruits and retains a diverse workforce, including women.

“While we’ve made it clear that she could have kept this position for as long as she wanted, we respect her decision to take the next step in her career,” he said.

Kavanagh has never been a firefighter herself. Prior to joining the department in an administrative role in 2014, she served as a senior adviser to former Mayor Bill de Blasio, and a campaign staffer for de Blasio and former President Barack Obama. She was named first deputy commissioner in 2018, overseeing the department's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.