New York City Fire Department

#FDNY members stand at the ready to protect spectators at the 144th US Open. For the next two weeks, FDNY firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics will work with other public safety agencies to respond to any and all emergencies that may occur at the event.

On Thursday, Lieutenant Eugene Hanretty Jr. of Station 8 retired after 31 years of service to the City of New York. “I will miss not being able to help and guide the members, especially when they're having a real tough day. For those of you just starting your careers - take advantage of every educational and promotional opportunity that the Fire Department has to offer to you. Be the best advocate for your patient! If you treat every patient like a family member, you will always do what is best for your patient,” said Lieutenant Hanretty. Following 9/11, Lieutenant Hanretty helped with the cleanup and recovery efforts down at Ground Zero. The FDNY appreciates his commitment to the department and wishes him a happy and healthy retirement!

Friday, Humble Heroes of the FDNY visited Kids Connect USA on Staten Island. Humble Heroes is a group of FDNY members and other first responders who are committed to lifting the spirits of children in need.

FDNY members, family, and friends attended a breakfast for First Deputy Commissioner Joseph Pfeifer. Pfiefer retired Thursday after nearly 40 years of service to the FDNY. Pfiefer came out of retirement when he was appointed First Deputy Commissioner in March 2023. Before that, he retired as Assistant Chief in July 2018 after 37 years in the FDNY. Pfeifer was serving at Battalion 1 in Lower Manhattan on the morning of September 11th, 2001, and was the first chief to arrive at the World Trade Center. The FDNY wishes Chief Pfeifer a happy and healthy retirement and thanks him for his decades of commitment to the Department. His dedication and service have left a lasting impact on the FDNY and the safety of our city.

Thank you to the FDNY Honor Legion for hosting the families of fallen members at Sunday’s New York Mets vs. Marlins game at Citi Field!

Monday, Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker, Acting Chief of Department John Esposito, Chief of EMS Operations Michael Fields, and other FDNY Officials rang the closing bell at the NYSE!

“When he became a Supervising Fire Marshal, George brought years of street smarts, of experience, and expertise to a role that requires all of that, and then some. And he did that with a smile on his face, always ready with a joke and a jab, and a willingness to do what it takes to get the job done,” said #FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker at Monday’s funeral for Supervising Fire Marshal Geroge E. Snyder, Jr. “He served in the greatest fire department in the history of this country. And you, like other mothers, I believe this is a biblical moment. You gave us your only son. And you allowed him to go and serve and protect. I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said Mayor Eric Adams to SFM Snyder’s family.   Retired Fire Marshal and friend John Orlando said, “Always a smile, always a laugh, not afraid to lead or take charge, knew his role and how to handle it. I can’t stop thinking about the day, hopefully not in the near future, when I am called home to the Lord. As I stand at the gates of heaven, past St. Peter, past the angels and loved ones who went before us, and deep into heaven I will hear George Snyder laughing out loud, resonating throughout heaven. I will shake my head and smile, knowing I will see my friend and brother again.” On Friday, August 9, SFM Snyder suffered a cardiac episode after working on Friday, August 9, 2024. He died Saturday, August 10, 2024. SFM Snyder is the 1,161st member of the FDNY to die in the line-of-duty.

Early Monday morning, Deputy Chief George Healy was beginning an 18-hour drive to Disney with his family. While on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn, traffic came to a complete stop and Chief Healy noticed an accident ahead. "I recognized that it seemed like there was a fire involved, so I jumped out of the car and start running up the highway and saw a fairly significant accident. There were two cars involved and debris across the entire highway. The engine compartment of one car was on fire. I went over to that car, the passenger door was caved in and no longer openable, and the fire was spreading up the windshield. I pushed the airbag away and I realized in there was a man unconscious in the back seat. A police officer approached the driver's side and smashed out the driver's window. Together, we were able to reach in and open the door. I got into the back seat and the man was entangled in the seat belt. He was limp. As I'm trying to disentangle him from the seat belt, the car is starting to fill with smoke from the fire. The fire in the engine compartment was starting to overtake the vehicle and the situation was rapidly deteriorating. If I didn't remove him in fairly short order, the fire was going to overwhelm the car. With the assistance of the police officer, we were able to pull him from the backseat and out of the car," said Deputy Chief George Healy, Division 13. "I've been doing this for 34 years. I knew there was no one there and if we didn't do something about this, the person wasn't going to get out," Chief Healy said. "When I went back to my car, a couple of other drivers approached me and said 'Man, you ran into that, what’s wrong with you? and I’m like, 'I'm a New York City firefighter; that's what New York City firefighters do.'" The victim was transported to NYU Langone Hospital - Brooklyn in stable condition by FDNY Paramedics Abigail Poit and Jill Eby.

Staten Island - we hope you had a blast at our last block party of the summer! Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker and FDNY members had a great time interacting with the community, teaching CPR, and sharing lifesaving safety information. Thank you to the FDNY Foundation for their generous support of the 2024 block parties!

We hope you'll join us on Saturday at Engine 157/Ladder 80 at 1573 Castleton Avenue on Staten Island for our final block party of the summer! We'll be there from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.!