This guy loves fire engine red!
New FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro spent the morning zipping around in a hip red Fiat with a license plate that reads, “FD CIAO.”
He also sported a red tie at a ceremony to announce his new title at the Fire Academy on Randall’s Island on Friday, saying the position is “a dream come true.”
“For many years I’ve had two families. The one here with me on my left and the larger one, the FDNY,” Nigro, 65, said after gesturing to his wife and kids.
His father was an FDNY captain. “The Fire Department was with us at the dinner table every night,” he said. “It’s a very emotional day . . . the Fire Department holds a very special place in my heart.”
Nigro is a 32-year department veteran who served as chief of department in the gut-wrenching days after 9/11.
“He is a true leader, a natural leader that will run this agency well,” said Mayor de Blasio, who appointed him.
“He’ll be the one making sure recruiters get out and bring in people of every background who are ready to serve and have the ability to be great firefighters,” he added.
Nigro also played a key role in integrating Emergency Medical Services and the FDNY in 1996.
He retired in 2002 and collected a pension but will no longer receive it now that he’s on the payroll, he said.