Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta today announced the expansion and reorganization of the Fire Department's top uniformed ranks, and appointed five Staff Chiefs to assume the role of Borough Commanders, who will be charged with the daily management and oversight of field units. The Department will move to a Borough Command structure effective September 1. A Department Chief will serve as a Borough Commander in each of the five boroughs, with another Chief serving as a Deputy Borough Commander. The Borough Commanders will oversee the day-to-day management and operations of their assigned borough, including scheduling, budgeting, overtime, and special events planning. Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Scoppetta announced the initiative at FDNY headquarters in downtown Brooklyn.

"Each of these members brings with them many years of management experience as well as an intense knowledge of the fire service and this Department," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Their appointments will help the Department as it continues to strengthen and rebuild and allows the FDNY to more effectively coordinate and direct its field units on a daily basis. This initiative improves the FDNY's management capabilities and allows uniformed officials to become thoroughly grounded in every aspect of managing the Fire Department. These measures will enable New York's Bravest to carry out their vitally important duties as professionally and efficiently as possible and ensure that all New Yorkers receive the protection provided by the greatest Fire Department in the world."

"This reorganization will, for the first time in many years, bring the expertise and experience of our most senior Fire Officers back into the daily management of the Department," said Commissioner Scoppetta. "Under the present structure, the most senior chiefs -- which include Assistant Chiefs and Deputy Assistant Chiefs -- work 24 hours straight and then are scheduled to be off for three days making them unavailable to me on a daily basis. Under this new organizational structure the Borough Commanders will work five eight-hour days each week and one 24-hour shift every two weeks performing the duties of a Citywide Tour Commander monitoring fire and emergency operations Citywide."

For years, the FDNY has suffered management difficulties due to a lack of a sufficient number of Staff Chiefs to direct the Department's operations. Under the previous structure with a limited number of Staff Chiefs, they worked as Citywide Tour Commanders who were assigned to fire duty, requiring them to work a 24-hour shift monitoring the FDNY's Citywide operations. As a result, Staff Chiefs could not participate in all of the normal day-to-day management activities of the Department such as budgeting, planning, and personnel decision-making. The number of Staff Chiefs is now being expanded from 10 to 18.

The five Borough Commanders appointed today are: Bronx Borough Commander, Chief Joseph Callan a 37-year veteran of the Department; Brooklyn Borough Commander, Chief Edward Kalletta, a 24-year veteran of the Department; Manhattan Borough Commander, Chief Harold Meyers, a 34-year veteran of the Department; Queens Borough Commander, Chief Michael Weinlein, a 21-year veteran of the Department; and Staten Island Borough Commander Chief John Casey, a 35-year veteran of the Department.

Commissioner Scoppetta said that this new structure is especially important in view of the many recommendations coming from the soon to be released McKinsey study on the Department's response and operations on September 11.

The Department also announced the retirement of the Chief of Department Daniel Nigro, a 33-year veteran of the Department. Chief Nigro joined the FDNY in 1969 and has held numerous key positions within the Department. In 1996, as an assistant Chief, he oversaw the merger of the Emergency Medical Service into the Fire department and served as its Chief-in-Charge until 1997. He also served as a Citywide Tour Commander and Chief of Operations prior to his promotion a year ago to Chief of Department.

"Chief Nigro has given more than three decades of service to the people of New York City, and during the last 11 months, he has helped lead the Department during the most difficult time in its history," said Commissioner Scoppetta. "I want to thank him for all that he has done for me, personally, since I was appointed Commissioner, as well as for all that he has done for the Department and for the people of New York City."