FDNY- New Commissioner Sworn in, Daniel A. Nigro

Published: June 09, 2014 Daniel A. Nigro Sworn in as the FDNY’s 33rd Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro (with his wife, Lynn) is sworn in as the FDNY’s 33rd Fire Commissioner by Mayor Bill de Blasio. View Gallery Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro was sworn in as the FDNY’s 33rd Fire Commissioner by Mayor Bill de Blasio on June 9. “He is praised for his intelligence, cool under fire and love for the FDNY,” Mayor de Blasio said during the ceremony at FDNY Headquarters. “He’s what we need for this Department – he will make it even stronger.” Commissioner Nigro is only the sixth individual to hold every rank in the Department, from Firefighter to Fire Commissioner, in the agency's history. He was appointed as a Firefighter on Nov. 29, 1969, rising through the ranks to the top uniformed position as Chief of Department on Sept. 12, 2001. “I’m left almost speechless – suffice to say I’m thrilled,” Commissioner Nigro said. “I promise to continue the mission of the Fire Department, to be ready for anything.” Commissioner Nigro’s 33-year career with the Department started in Manhattan at Engine 21 where he served as Firefighter. He worked as a Lieutenant at Engine 35 in East Harlem; in Division 14 in Queens and Engine 8 in Manhattan as a Captain; and in Battalion 19 in the Bronx as a Battalion Chief. Beginning in 1988, while in the rank of Battalion Chief, he served in several administrative positions at Headquarters as the Chief of Personnel and the Chief of the Bureau of Health Services. Upon his promotion to Deputy Chief in 1993, he returned to the field and served in Division 3 in Manhattan. A year later he was appointed Deputy Assistant Chief and was instrumental in merging Emergency Medical Services into the FDNY. Following the merger, he became the Chief in Charge of EMS. In 1997, he was promoted to Chief of Operations, overseeing all operations and training for more than 14,000 uniformed fire and EMS personnel. Following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, he was appointed Chief of Department with the death of Chief Peter Ganci.  Commissioner Nigro was responsible for overseeing all rescue and recovery operations at the World Trade Center site and the beginning of the unprecedented rebuilding of the Department.  As Chief of Department, Commissioner Nigro held the highest uniformed rank, overseeing all major uniformed FDNY Bureaus: Operations, Training, EMS, Communications and Fire Prevention. Commissioner Nigro is the son of retired FDNY Captain Daniel Nigro, who attended his son’s swearing in ceremony.