Chief Robert Byrnes Promoted to Chief Fire Marshal

 

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Chief Robert Byrnes, as Chief Fire Marshal. Chief Byrnes succeeds Chief Louis Garcia, who retired last month.

Robert G. Byrnes is a 26-year veteran of the NYC Fire Department. He served for eight years as a Firefighter in Brooklyn and Staten Island. Chief Byrnes was promoted to fire marshal in 1989 and has been a member of the Bureau of Fire Investigation for nearly 19 years.

In 1997, Chief Byrnes was awarded the Deputy Commissioner Christine R. Godek Medal for his work on the Firefighter Louis Valentino fatality.  Chief Byrnes was promoted to supervisor in 1999 and worked in every command within the Bureau of Fire Investigation. He was assigned to the Special Investigations Unit and was responsible for many high-profile investigations, including fatal fires involving members of service.

In 2001, he was designated as the Commanding Officer of the BFI Special Operations Command, which oversees all of the Bureau of Fire Investigation’s specialized units.  He is responsible for several initiatives that enhanced the day-to-day investigations of the Bureau and streamlined filing of complaint reports. He also was responsible for coordinating security for all FDNY special events.  

After the WTC terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Chief Byrnes was tasked with   tracking all lost or stolen Department property, as well as forwarding this information to the Joint Terrorist Task Force. He served on the Metropolitan Committee for Counter Terrorism. This committee was formed just after 9/11 to form partnerships with multiple local, state and federal agencies.  Chief Byrnes is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.  In the fall of 2004, he was selected to attend the FDNY/USMA Combating Terrorism Leadership Program.

He was promoted to the rank of Assistant Chief Fire Marshal in November 2006.

 

- Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta