FDNY boss Laura Kavanagh’s last day revealed as department still mum on replacement
The FDNY’s embattled outgoing commissioner will end her tenure as the first woman to head the department early next month, the department announced Thursday without naming who will replace her.
Commissioner Laura Kavanagh’s last day will be August 7 — less than two weeks away — and the FDNY has not given any hints as to who will take over to lead the country’s largest fire department when it arrives.
The department said, however, that “there will be no lapse in leadership.”
Two names floated as Kavanagh’s possible successor are Chairman and CEO of security and investigations company T&M USA Robert Tucker and FDNY Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Kwame Cooper, according to two sources.
Tucker declined to comment when reached by The Post, instead directing a reporter to City Hall, which did not immediately respond to messages.
Cooper could not be reached for comment.
One of the sources also said FDNY Chief of EMS Operations Michael Fields could be in the running to replace Kavanagh. But when reached for comment, Fields said he was unaware of the possibility and declined additional comment.
If a new commissioner is not appointed before Kavanagh’s departure, then the FDNY’s First Deputy Commissioner Joseph Pfeifer will serve as acting commissioner as he’s currently second in command.
Kavanagh confirmed that she was quitting on July 13 following a slew of controversies that swept through the department since she was appointed to the post by Mayor Eric Adams in 2022.
While the mayor has stood by her side, she came under fire from others in the administration as a number of issues arose under her leadership.
The problems included rising FDNY emergency-response times, surges in lithium-ion battery fires citywide, repeated criticism from her underlings and an age-discrimination lawsuit filed by department honchos she demoted.
Smoke-eaters were also unhappy after she sent department brass to hunt down and discipline members who mercilessly booed state Attorney General Letitia James – and cheered in support of Donald Trump – during a department promotion ceremony in March.
But one of Kavanagh’s predecessors who served as the FDNY boss during 9/11 recently told The Post that the first female commissioner was “set up to fail” at leading the department headed by an “old boys club.”
“The old boys club of staff chiefs at FDNY was sure to come after [Kavanagh],” ex-fire Commissioner Tom Von Essen said. “She handled it poorly but was on target with trying to get more of the younger, talented lieutenants, captains and battalion chiefs to come to headquarters with loftier goals than padding comp time and pensions.”
Kavanagh has reportedly had a hand in helping to search for her replacement and let the administration know she was thinking of leaving months ago, according to the FDNY.
“As she promised, the Commissioner has spent the past several weeks leading a planned transition of leadership at the FDNY, in addition to helping the mayor’s team search for the Department’s next commissioner,” the department said in a statement.
“Commissioner Kavanagh’s last day at the FDNY will be August 7th, almost one month after she announced her scheduled departure and months after she initiated these conversations with administration leadership,” it continued. “Importantly, there will be no lapse in leadership.”
Additional reporting by Craig McCarthy
