FDNY chiefs demoted; Commissioner Kavanagh unable to resolve issues; Mayor Adams urged to intervene

On Tuesday, three FDNY chiefs at the center of the ongoing departmental turmoil spoke publicly for the first time, calling on Mayor Adams to intervene. Recently demoted FDNY Chiefs Joseph Jardin and Michael Gala, as well as Assistant Chief Michael Massucci, who has requested a demotion in solidarity, said peace in the upper ranks will only come if Mayor Adams initiates wholesale changes. Jardin explained, “I don’t see a way forward… That is certainly within the Mayor’s prerogative to try to fix that.” Gala stated that he doesn't think that Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh can fix the issue she created. “There is too much pain, too much hurt, too much embarrassment, and too much humiliation,” he said.

The issues in the department’s upper echelons commenced in February after The News published a story about how several top uniformed FDNY officials resigned to protest Kavanagh’s demotion of Gala, Jardin, and Fred Schaaf (assistant chiefs) to deputy chiefs. Sources within the FDNY stated that Kavanagh opposed the leadership styles of the demoted chiefs, describing them as “bad apples,” although none had any complaints that had been substantiated by the department. Kavanagh further complained that her staff chiefs hadn’t presented any new ideas about how to improve the department. She alleged that she had sought imaginative thought outside the box from the chiefs, but they were peppering her with requests about overtime and department-issued take-home cars. Seven other staff chiefs, including Massucci, FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens and Chief of Fire Operations John Esposito, have since requested to be demoted to deputy chief and moved back into the field.

As of now, ten staff chiefs have either been demoted by Kavanagh, or they have requested to be lowered in rank. There are 23 staff chiefs in the entire FDNY, with several on medical leave. There are only seven active staff chiefs citywide, considering those who have been demoted, and those on medical leave, sources stated. Kavanagh has not approved any of the demotion requests and has asked everyone to remain while she fine-tunes her leadership team. The demoted chiefs are presently suing the department, alleging ageism. At 40, Kavanagh is the city’s youngest commissioner and the first female fire commissioner. Gala had previously sued the FDNY with success, claiming that his career had been stalled after he wrote harshly critical letters in the Chief-Leader Newspaper years ago about the FDNY’s efforts to hire more Black firefighters. He told NBC that he had no idea why he was demoted to deputy chief, refuting allegations that he and the demoted chiefs have issues taking orders from a woman. “We don’t have problems working with females. We’ve never had any problems,” he said.

Massucci noted that the ongoing strife had ripple effects outside of FDNY headquarters. “The mental anguish it’s caused me and my family. It’s devastating,” he said, adding that morale in the firehouses was “very low.” He said, "This has absolutely nothing to do with the fire commissioner being female. This has to do with the fire commissioner’s treatment of her executive staff.” The FDNY refused to comment on the ongoing lawsuit, stating that Kavanagh, like many fire commissioners before her, is building her executive team and making changes where she sees fit. Mayor Adams, who could not be reached on Wednesday, supported Kavanagh’s decisions to shake up the FDNY’s highest ranks. Adams said that, “Since day one, Fire Commissioner Kavanagh has promoted a culture of true leadership, accountability, and performance within the FDNY, and she has spearheaded efforts to diversify the Department to a level never seen before. She has my full support, as she has since the day she stepped in to lead New York’s Bravest.”

Attorney Jim Walden, who is representing the chiefs in their ageism lawsuit, stated that Adams needs to address the ongoing strife at FDNY headquarters. He said, “It is insanity for the Mayor to sit by and let these heroes have their careers wrecked while he props up an unqualified bully of a Commissioner— especially one that is actually hurting diversity at FDNY in significant ways.”