The new commissioner of the Fire Department of New York is a lifelong smoke-eater who was cited for bravery five times for daring rescues in burning buildings over his 40-year career, Mayor Bloomberg announced today.
Salavatore Cassano, currently the highest-ranking uniformed officer in the FDNY, will succeed outgoing commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta on Jan. 1, 2010.
“Sal brings a lifetime of unmatched experience to the task of managing the world’s greatest fire department. His record as a leader in the department speaks for itself — there have never been fewer fire deaths during any other eight-year period recorded city history, ” Bloomberg said.
“We are choosing Sal not just on the basis of that very impressive record but even more importantly, because of Sal’s vision for the future of the FDNY,” he added.
Cassano, 64, had lobbied hard for the top spot, FDNY sources said.
Some rank-and-file grumbled that Cassano may be too accommodating to Bloomberg, especially as the mayor looks to seek to new cost savings from the agency.
But, Cassano, who worked his way up the chain of command, is well-respected by the rank-and-file.
Cassano was competing against Mylan Denerstein, a top lawyer with the state Attorney General’s Office and former legal counsel to the FDNY.
Denerstein would have made history as the city’s first female FDNY commissioner.
Also in the contention was Phillip Parr, a former FDNY battalion chief, who would have been the second black to head the overwhelmingly Caucasian department.
Since 2006, Cassano had been chief of the department — the No. 2 in charge of the 16,000 member force.
Before that Cassano was chief of operations and was integral in rebuilding the department after its loss of 343 members on 9/11.
Part of Cassano’s vision for the future includes implementing better inspection systems and streamlining the 911 emergency response dispatch system.
Cassano, an Army combat veteran of the Vietnam War, will be paid $205,180 a year, sources said, a slight increase over his current salary of $200,096. He’ll be eligible for a $172,000 yearly pension when he retires.
Current commissioner Scoppetta, 77, is stepping down after eight years.