Laura Kavanagh Appointed by NYC as First-Ever Female Commissioner

Laura Kavanagh was sworn in as a new leader by the New York City Fire Department.

On Thursday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams appointed Kavanagh as its new Fire Commissioner.

Kavanagh, 40, previously served as acting commissioner of the FDNY after Daniel Nigro retired in February.

She will now be the first female commissioner in the department’s 157-year history. Kavanagh will oversee the day-to-day administration of the agency’s 17,000 employees and its $2 billion budget.

Kavanagh first joined the FDNY in 2014, and has served the city during the Ebola outbreak of 2015, as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, she directed the organization’s recruitment campaign and assisted in new policy initiatives.

During her swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams recalled how the search for the city’s new fire commissioner began, and expressed that Laura was going to be part of this administration no matter what.

“We knew her skill set and we knew her abilities, and I shared with her that I wanted her to be part of our team from the beginning,” Adams added.

Adams, 62, also noted that while the search was underway, Kavanagh became the clear choice for the role, expressing, “I kept coming back to Laura over and over again. Over and over again I just kept coming back to her leadership.”

According to the FDNY, the importance of diversifying its team is a priority. Its most recent firefighter exam consisted of more women applicants than the last two exams combined, and 35 percent of its EMT applicants were women.

The FDNY’s total number of female firefighters rose to 134 with its graduating class in March 2022, accounting for the highest number in its history.