He assumed the position after 9/11, arguably one of the darkest times in the city’s – and the country’s – history, and helped rebuild a department that lost hundreds of lives to an act of terrorism.
Now, Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta has announced that at the end of the year he will step down as head of the FDNY in order to “pursue teaching opportunities.”
“It was an extraordinary honor to be asked to lead the FDNY – which had come to symbolize the incomprehensible loss and, at the same time, the incredible strength and resiliency of our city and our nation,” Scoppetta wrote in a letter to all FDNY staff.
“In August I met with Mayor Bloomberg and told him that, regardless of the outcome of the election in November, I would be leaving at the end of this year to pursue teaching opportunities – a plan which I had put on hold in 2001 when he appointed me. I again thanked him for the opportunity he gave me, and the tremendous honor it has been to serve as the city’s 31st Fire Commissioner.”
During his 47-year career of service to the city, Scoppetta served as, among others, Commissioner of the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS); a professor of law at the New York University School of Law (NYU); Deputy Mayor for Criminal Justice; Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI); Chair, Mayor’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
“The Department’s performance under Scoppetta’s leadership has been remarkable: the city has experienced the fewest fire deaths on record, and our firefighters and EMS personnel are getting to fires and medical emergencies faster than ever,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “The FDNY has never been better trained and prepared to handle any emergency, including terrorism.
“Nick Scoppetta has always been a person that you can turn to in a crisis,” continued Bloomberg. “When the city’s child welfare system was in systemic failure, Mayor Rudy Giuliani turned to him to fix it. Moreover, when the FDNY needed someone to oversee its recovery after 9/11, I could not think of anyone more qualified for the job. As he embarks on plans to teach and write, I thank him and wish him well.”
