Recently, FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh made news for her contentious decision to demote three veteran chiefs. Also, the former department heads have filed suit for reinstatement.
“This action is about one thing,” the suit begins. “The well-being of New York City’s citizens and the heroic firefighters who serve them.”
Kavanagh made it plain in an interview that she would not comment on personnel problems or ongoing legal challenges. But, she did declare that claims that New York City is unsafe are unfounded.
Because there are only so many fire chiefs in the Department, the complaint claims there is a serious threat to public safety.
The four leaders claim the transfers remove men from positions. Where their years of knowledge might potentially save lives. They fear “an unthinkable level of unpreparedness” will result if the layoffs are implemented at the start of March.
“We are putting together a new team and it is always difficult, but it’s what every commissioner before me has done,” Kavanagh explained.
The suit claims that the March 4th and 6th demotions were ordered by FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh.
They were in charge of coordinating citywide responses to fires that required many alarms.
An attorney representing the plaintiffs claims that the public’s safety would be jeopardised. If they were removed from their critical roles.
An attorney representing the plaintiffs, Jim Walden, said that after the demotions take effect later this week. “There will be no incident commanders at all in the FDNY that have ever served as the incident commander for a five-alarm fire.” The most catastrophic and grave and risky type of fire.
FDNY Chiefs Demoted
Fire Department of New York (FDNY) assistant chiefs, who were demoted by Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, have filed a lawsuit seeking reinstatement.
Assistant Chiefs Joe Jardin, Michael Gala, and Fred Schaaf are the named plaintiffs in the complain. That was filed on Monday in Brooklyn state court. A month ago, Kavanagh demoted the three to deputy chief.
They have filed a lawsuit against the city and its first female fire commissioner, Kavanagh.
She reportedly made the demotions after complaining about the three chiefs to the highest-ranking uniformed official in the agency, John “Jack” Hodgens, and the head of fire operations, John Esposito, but neither man disciplined the chiefs.
According to sources cited by the Daily News, they were singled out as particularly egregious cases.
Several high-ranking officers of the department resigned in protest of the demotions. Including Hodgens, Esposito, and Deputy Assistant Chief Michael Massucci, the latter of whom is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
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Lawsuit Of Demoted Chief
The lawsuit says that once the recent demotions take effect next month. There will be no chiefs who have ever served as incident commanders on a five-alarm fire. Also, incident commanders are responsible for mobilising firefighters into action and supervising blazes.
A representative from the FDNY did not immediately return a call seeking comment. The city’s legal division has promised to look into the matter.
Kavanagh is accused of “abusing the office of fire commissioner” and “putting the public and members of the FDNY in danger” in the filing.
Kavanagh’s brief time in office “has proven what occurs when a political operator is put in command of a public-safety department as crucial as the FDNY,” the lawsuit states.
Also, the plaintiffs are asking for a reversal of “the Commissioner’s recent punitive rulings.”
Firefighters who risked their lives on September 11 and countless other instances. To safeguard New Yorkers from deadly flames are represented by the chiefs’ attorney, Jim Walden. “It is a major miscalculation and dereliction of duty on the part of the Commissioner to remove these seasoned officers from their critical safety functions.”
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Conclusion
An explosive new lawsuit contended that a series of promotions at the top of the FDNY will leave the department without experienced chiefs who had actual command expertise against catastrophic fires.
On Monday, four chiefs who were demoted filed a lawsuit in Brooklyn seeking to overturn or halt what they called “retaliatory personnel decisions” by FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh.
Also, they maintained that the FDNY would be in a “unimaginable level of unpreparedness” if the demotions went through on March 4–6.
But, the chiefs who filed the suit said they were victimised for speaking out against their unfit leader.
It’s never easy to put together a new team, but that’s what every commissioner before me has done, Kavanagh said.
Because there are only so many fire chiefs in the Department, the complaint claims there is a serious threat to public safety.
The four leaders claim the transfers remove men from positions where their years of knowledge might potentially save lives. Also, they fear “an unthinkable level of unpreparedness” will result if the layoffs are implemented at the start of March.
