Mayor Eric Adams swears in Robert S. Tucker as the new FDNY Commissioner. Image Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office.
On August 12, 2024, Mayor Eric Adams announced the appointment of Robert S. Tucker, Esq as the Commissioner of the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY). Tucker, who has been with the Fire Department since 1985, has served as secretary of the Fire Department of the City of New York Foundation, is an honorary fire commissioner of the City of New York.
Tucker is a graduate of The George Washington University and Pace University School of Law. In 2009, former New York Governor David Paterson appointed Tucker to serve as a vice chairman of the New York State Security Guard Advisory Council. In 2013, Tucker was appointed as the council’s chairman, where he served until 2021. In 2014, the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department of the Supreme Court of the State of New York appointed Tucker as a member of the Committee on Character and Fitness for the Ninth Judicial District. In 2018, Tucker was appointed to Pace University’s Board of Trustees.
Tucker spent nearly a decade serving as special assistant in the Office of the Queens County District Attorney, in this role he developed an extensive network of contacts in the law enforcement community while managing administrative aspects of a major urban prosecutor’s office. This experience provided him the opportunity to work closely with executive-level members of the New York City Police Department and the city administration, as well as with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, and the different local U.S. Attorney’s Offices, where he still maintains valuable relationships.
Tucker currently serves as secretary of the FDNY Foundation and as an honorary fire commissioner, a member of the Board of Trustees and treasurer of the New York City Police Foundation and an honorary police commissioner, and past president of the Associated Licensed Detectives of New York state. Tucker is also a member of the Board of Directors of White Plains Hospital and a former member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, Metro Chapter.
Mayor Eric Adams said, “It is my privilege to announce the appointment of Robert S. Tucker as the 35th commissioner of the FDNY. Commissioner Tucker brings decades of experience in protecting public safety to this role, as well as strong personal ties to the FDNY. His very first job as a young man was working at the FDNY communications office in Central Park and I can’t think of anyone who knows this department better. I want to thank Commissioner Kavanagh for her nearly decade of service to the FDNY where she led the greatest Fire Department in the world to new heights. I am confident Commissioner Tucker will continue Commissioner Kavanagh’s legacy of success supporting our firefighters and protecting our city. New York City is grateful to have a leader with so much experience ready to take the helm at this critical moment.”
Fire Department of the City of New York Commissioner Robert Tucker said, “Public safety has been my life’s work. I’ve had a long career in the public and private sector and being appointed commissioner of the FDNY is the biggest honor of my life. “Firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics do the work that most of us only ever read about in comic books. They are heroes and they embody the best of all of us. My message to the members of the FDNY is simple: while you have New Yorkers’ backs — I’ve got yours. I know the work we will accomplish together will make this department even greater and we will make this city an even safer place to live, work, and raise a family.”
By: Chelsea Ramjeawan (Chelsea is the CityLaw intern and a New York Law School student, Class of 2025.)