Retired FDNY Hero On September 11, Joseph Pfeiffer is named Executive Director of Commissioner Laura Kavanagh.

On Saturday, the 9/11 retired FDNY hero was named Deputy Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh.

As the department’s first deputy commissioner, 67-year-old retired assistant chief Joseph Pfeiffer will hold the second-highest civilian rank in the FDNY, the department said.

First Deputy Commissioner Joseph Pfeiffer

The appointment will no doubt soften criticism from departmental chiefs of staff that Kavanagh, the city’s first female fire commissioner, does not include them in her reshuffle and makes decisions for the department with a narrow circle of assistants with little to no firefighting experience.

Still, Kavanagh’s critics call Pfeiffer’s appointment nothing more than “window dressing” as the chiefs of staff continue to plot a mass exodus from FDNY headquarters next month.

Pfeiffer, who retired in 2018, “has been one of the most daring in New York for decades,” Kavanagh said in a statement. “(He) created partnerships and programs that have increased the safety and learning of our members, and has always been there for our city, especially in our darkest days.

“Having worked closely with Joe for many years now and I’m thrilled to have him back home at FDNY and joining our executive leadership team,” she said.

Then-FDNY chief Joseph Pfeiffer at the scene of a fire in the Breezy Point area of ​​Queens during Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012.

Mayor Adams welcomed the hire on Saturday, saying Pfeiffer “exemplifies what it means to be the most daring in New York.”

Pfeiffer joined the fire department in 1981 and was the first FDNY executive to respond to the 9/11 World Trade Center message. His brother, FDNY Lieutenant Kevin Pfeiffer, died in the attack.

The retired chief is credited with establishing the Counterterrorism and Disaster Preparedness Center. He was also chief of the FDNY’s counterterrorism and emergency preparedness division for the 17 years following 9/11, where he helped shape strategic planning, intelligence sharing and interagency response to terrorism-related incidents, department officials said.

FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh at Staten Island University Hospital in Staten Island on Friday, February 17, 2023

“With nearly 40 years of experience at the FDNY, he is an excellent choice for one of the highest positions in this wonderful department and someone New Yorkers and firefighters can count on to innovate in every aspect of fire prevention and safety.” Mayor Adams said.

Kavanagh was the FDNY’s first deputy fire commissioner under former fire commissioner Daniel Nigro. When she became acting fire commissioner after Nigro retired last year, Lisette Kristoff, deputy commissioner of the department of budget and finance, became acting first deputy fire commissioner.

Since Kavanagh was promoted, no one has held the position full-time, according to FDNY officials.

FDNY Assistant Chief Joseph Pfeiffer and Governor Cuomo walk through Breezy Point, Queens, devastated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Since his retirement, Pfeiffer has been an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International Public Affairs and director of crisis leadership at the Columbia Climate School’s National Disaster Preparedness Center.

The retired executive said he was looking forward to his new challenge.

“The essence of the FDNY is the ability to join forces to solve complex problems in the face of great tragedy,” Pfeiffer said. “Our close-knit team is a sign of resilience reflect on the past and imagine the future so that we can improve the present.”

Artifacts in the 9/11 Museum collection include Chief Joseph Pfeiffer's helmet.

As of Friday, at least six chiefs of staff, including Section Chief John “Jack” Hodgins, the highest-ranking uniformed official at the FDNY, have asked to be demoted to deputy chief and put back in place, claiming they have. a complete sever of communication between Kavanagh and the top military officials of the FDNY. Managers are asking to be transferred to their new positions by March 6.

Hodgens and other executives asked to be reassigned after Kavanagh demoted assistant chiefs Fred Schaaf, Michael Gal, and Joseph Jardine to deputy chiefs and then called other top executives to the carpet in a Feb. 3 caucus where she demanded more from box thinking and fewer requests for extended holidays and private cars.

New York Daily News front page, Feb. 12, 2023: First female fire commissioner takes on bullying and business as usual, causing a shake-up.  Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh focused on leadership, but chiefs at a recent meeting were more interested in vacation days and use of agency vehicles, according to the entry.

“The lack of transparency and lack of truthfulness not only with me but with the entire uniformed executive staff led me to this decision,” Deputy Assistant Chief Michael Massucci wrote this week, asking for it to be returned to the Deputy Chief.

A senior FDNY source with knowledge of the ongoing unrest did not believe Pfeiffer could bring the outraged Chiefs of Staff back into his ranks.

“He has experience in the fire department and he has authority, but some are unhappy that he accepted this job,” the source said of Pfeiffer. “He’s going to win Kavanagh’s trust when the other chiefs are gone, but that’s about it.”

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