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By CHRIS SOMMERFELDT and LEONARD GREENE | August 12, 2024
Robert Tucker, a committed philanthropist with deep roots in civic service and strong ties to public safety, was appointed as New York City’s 35th FDNY commissioner on Monday.
Like the commissioner he replaces, Robert Tucker has never been a uniformed firefighter. But he can trace his FDNY roots back to the early 1980s, when, during his first-ever job as a summer intern in the department, he fetched coffee and mapped fires across the five boroughs.
“From that summer job and paper map I became captivated with the business of public safety,” Tucker said during an appointment ceremony at the FDNY Fire Academy on Randalls Island. “These people are real superheroes, and I couldn’t respect them more.”
Not everyone was thrilled with Tucker’s introduction Monday. Oren Barzilay, president of the EMS Local 2057 union that represents EMTs and paramedics, and fire inspectors, was upset that Tucker barely mentioned EMS workers at his appointment ceremony.
“Someone needs to inform the new FDNY Commissioner that he represents the largest EMS system in the entire nation,” Barzilay said in a statement. “Our members were completely relegated to a postscript mention in the new commissioner’s remarks, which is an insult to thousands who wear the uniform as FDNY EMT’s, paramedics and fire protection inspectors.”
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