FDNY Pro

The New York City subway system is the oldest, longest and most utilized public transportation system in the nation, with 472 stations in operation and more than 2 billion riders in 2023. With these massive numbers come numerous responses for the FDNY throughout the system. Most incidents are minor in nature and handled without removing power to the subway cars. When a situation calls for it, such as serious fires, person struck by a train or major accidents, power removal will be necessary for the safety of Department members as well as the passengers. In this episode, we discuss the wide-ranging effects of using the blue-light power removal boxes with the commanding officer of FDNY’s PTSU, the Public Transportation Safety Unit, Battalion Chief Bill Ventura. Battalion Chief Brian Mulry hosts.

We are marking the FDNY Pro Podcast’s 100th episode, which debuted in April of 2016, by visiting with the guest and host from that inaugural episode. Battalion Chief Brian Mulry and Captain Randy welcome back Dr. Dario Gonzalez, FDNY Office of Medical Affairs, and retired Chief of Staff Elizabeth Cascio. Our FDNY Pro Podcast Producer Kristin Eng joins the group to talk behind the scenes at the pod and their thoughts of episodes past.

Wind conditions can override the effects of some or all of the other variables that define traditional fire behavior, which can make for challenging conditions for firefighters. In this episode, we discuss fighting wind impacted fires on non-fireproof and low-rise structures with Deputy Chief George Healy. Captain John Ceriello hosts.

We're kicking off 2024 by sitting down with FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh to discuss a wide range of topics facing the Department including the ongoing lithium-ion battery crisis and how the FDNY is helping combat it on a national, state and local level, the upcoming strategic plan and more. Battalion Chief Brian Mulry hosts.

We revisit conversations from our latest season of the FDNY Pro Podcast with host, FDNY Deputy Chief Michael Barvels. As we reflect on the stories and lessons of 2023, our eighth season of the podcast, we want to thank all the members who contributed with their professionalism, skill and experience. We remain committed to offering resources to our peers in public safety with more to come in 2024. Stay tuned!

A trench is considered a temporary excavation where both the length of the floor and the depth of the trench exceeds the width of the floor. Construction and underground utility service and repair are a few of the reasons trenches are dug. The large amount of underground infrastructure and construction happening in New York City increases the likelihood that FDNY units will respond to such a collapse. These incidents are deceivingly dangerous as they often occur with little or no warning and a high percentage of deaths that occur involve would-be rescuers. In this episode, host Battalion Chief Brian Mulry discusses trench rescue operations with Lieutenant Todd Smith, lead trench instructor at the FDNY Technical Rescue School and a member of Rescue Company 4 in Queens.

Manhattan FDNY companies were dispatched to a high-rise building under construction with reports of a crane on fire. The construction crane was positioned about five stories above the 45-story building when the engine caught fire. Upon arrival, the crane’s boom, which had 16 tons of concrete attached fell, striking another high-rise building before crashing to the street below. Host Battalion Chief Brian Mulry talks through this challenging operation with two of the initial chiefs on scene, Battalion Chief Anthony Pascocello, Battalion 9, and Battalion Chief Mark Rosenbaum, Battalion 8.

An FDNY Chaplain since 1996, Monsignor John Delendick has comforted, advised, and ministered to the Department’s members and families for nearly three decades. On September 11, 2001, he responded to the terrorist attacks and served as a pathfinder to safety, first aid and ambulances, while providing counsel to the desperate who were losing hope. During the recovery efforts, he spent his days attending memorial services and funerals, and his evenings checking in with members working the pile. In the years since 9/11, while the Department rebuilt, he continued attending plaque dedications, funerals and visiting with members, but also bestowed blessings at graduations, promotions and on the Department’s marine fleet. Eventually, Monsignor Delendick received the same news many WTC responders have since that fateful day—that he too had developed World Trade Center-related illness. Host Elizabeth Cascio speaks with the Monsignor about entering the priesthood, his introduction to the FDNY and his experiences since.

Members of Ladder Company 108 carried out multiple rescues amongst challenging conditions and heavy clutter at a Brooklyn fire. In this episode, Lieutenant Chris Walter and Firefighters Roger Buck and Joseph Andres discuss the 2022 operation with host Battalion Chief Brian Mulry. For their heroic actions, the company received a unit citation, and the three guests were recognized with individual medals at the 2023 FDNY Medal Day ceremony – the most of any one company this year.

Two people plummeted five stories down an elevator shaft at the Bronx Terminal Market. Lieutenant Shlomo Winkler, then a Rescue Paramedic, and Paramedic Watkins, together with numerous on-scene units, worked to treat and free the patient trapped beneath the elevator car in a December 2022 operation. Winkler and Watkins discuss their processes, challenges faced, and teamwork needed at this incident. For their professionalism and commitment to providing quality care, the two were awarded the Christopher J. Prescott Medal at FDNY Medal Day this past June. Captain Randy Li hosts.

Some of the most difficult fires FDNY members face are wind impacted fires. It's been more than two decades since the Department began studying the impact of wind in high rise building fires which ultimately led to current protocols, procedures, and equipment developed to help fight these fires and are now part of FDNY standard operating procedures. In this episode, retired Battalion Chief Gerald Tracy shares his knowledge of wind impacted fires and revisits how the Department improved its understanding and tactics of fighting these challenging and devastating fires. Captain John Ceriello hosts.

During the midst of the COVID pandemic outbreak in New York City, Tracy Harris began having severe abdominal pain that prompted her to call 9-1-1 for help. Just prior to EMS arrival, she realized that she was in full active labor (23 weeks pregnant at the time) and her pre-term baby girl had just unexpectedly delivered while she laid on the floor. In this episode, Station 20's first-arriving EMTs Silverio Moreno and Johnathan Rivera—who had never worked together before—recall how they upgraded the call from OB-OUT to a cardiac arrest as they discovered the newborn baby was not breathing and had no pulse, and the events that followed. Mother and daughter were taken to Jacobi Hospital Medical Center, and eventually both made a complete recovery. In 2023, the patients and their rescuers were reunited at the FDNY's Second Chance Ceremony; a precious full-circle moment for all. Captain Randy Li hosts.

FDNY units saved multiple residents from a three-alarm fire in a Manhattan high-rise. The explosive fire, which was ignited by an e-bike’s lithium-ion battery, blocked the first arriving units’ entry into the fire apartment. Multiple firefighters were lowered simultaneously to rescue residents trapped at the window, overcoming obstacles that challenged members while suspended 200-feet above ground. In this special two-part episode, firefighters and fire officers working in Ladder 16, Rescue 1 and Battalion 9 recount the harrowing details of this operation and highlight the teamwork, determination and lessons learned that will leave an indelible mark on listeners. Battalion Chief Brian Mulry talks to Battalion Chief Anthony Pascocello, Lieutenants Adrienne Walsh and Joseph Decker, Firefighters Darren Harsch, Christian Wellinger and Artur Podgorski.

Two trailblazing women of the FDNY, Battalion Chief Rochelle “Rocky” Jones (Retired) and Battalion Chief Michele Fitzsimmons discuss their successful careers with the Department. Chief Fitzsimmons joined the Department in 2001, and currently is the highest-ranking woman firefighter in the FDNY. Chief Jones entered the Department back in 1982, with the first class of women ever appointed to the FDNY, and climbed the ranks to become the first woman to be promoted to the rank of Battalion Chief in 2003. Chief Fitzsimmons followed in her footsteps and joined the rank in 2020. Elizabeth Cascio hosts.

Kristina Moon's husband, Firefighter William P. Moon II, or Billy as everyone called him, suffered a fatal injury while preparing for a training drill at his Brooklyn firehouse in December of 2022. Days later when it became clear that the 21-veteran of the Department would not survive his injuries, Billy’s family carried out his wishes to donate his organs to help others. In total, five organs from Moon were transplanted into five desperate recipients. Two of those recipients include retired FDNY members, Captain Patrick Reynolds and Lieutenant Terrence Jordan, who join this conversation remotely via video conference. Kristina Moon joins host Battalion Chief Brian Mulry in-studio.

History was made as New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the appointment, and swore in, Laura Kavanagh as Commissioner of the New York City Fire Department. Commissioner Kavanagh is the 34th commissioner to lead the Department—and the first woman. In her role, she oversees the nation’s largest fire department, including the agency’s 17 thousand employees and $2 billion budget. She also advocates for first responders at the City, State and Federal level. Chief of Staff Elizabeth Cascio hosts.

We revisit conversations from our latest season of the FDNY Pro Podcast with host, FDNY Deputy Chief Michael Barvels. In our 2022 seventh season, pride and professionalism remains ever-present in FDNY training and operations, and is reflected in the stories and lessons shared here on our podcast. We thank all the members who contributed this season and reaffirm our commitment to offer resources to our peers in public safety and help save lives.

The heavy demand on electrical usage in high rise buildings warrants the need for high voltage equipment. That is why it's so important to understand the dangers of this equipment and how units can safely operate at fires involving transformer vault rooms. In this episode, FDNY Battalion Chief Anthony Pascocello returns to the podcast to provide listeners with a working knowledge of these types of fires and operational considerations. Battalion Chief Brian Mulry hosts.

2022 marks the 25thanniversary of the untimely death of FDNY EMT Tracy Allen Lee who was the first EMT to contract HIV on duty in the city—and in the country. Allen Lee dedicated her life to caring for others but spent the years leading up to her death fighting for the benefits for an illness obtained while in the line of duty. It wasn’t until a year after her death, that she received the line-of-duty designation and a New York State law granted line-of-duty benefits to any EMT and Paramedic who contracts HIV while on the job. This year, the Department honored her service and sacrifice in a memorial ceremony at Station 10 in Manhattan. In this episode, you'll hear from family, friends and leaders of the FDNY who gathered at the station where she worked to memorialize Allen Lee and celebrate her legacy. Chief of Staff Elizabeth Cascio hosts.

As the attacks on the World Trade Center were carried out, most people viewed the collapses from the outside in. However, on September 11, 2001, then-Captain John "Jay" Jonas and five of his firefighters from Ladder Co. 6 were descending Stairwell B with injured civilian, Josephine Harris, when the North Tower violently collapsed around them. The collapse of the 110-story building took at total of 13 seconds and came down in a pancake fashion, producing tremendous debris and strong air movement that lifted the firefighters and Harris and threw them about the staircase. Chief Jonas, who went to on to serve the Department for another 21 years before retiring in July of 2022, discusses their miraculous survival. Battalion Chief Brian Mulry hosts.