Department honors FDNY dispatchers at recognition ceremony

October 2, 2024

The FDNY honored dispatchers who played critical roles in the response to three separate incidents during a ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, inside the Commissioner Robert O. Lowery Auditorium.

The incidents include the deadly Twin Parks high-rise fire in the Bronx in January 2022, an active shooter in the subway in Brooklyn in April 2022 and five children stuck in a sewer tunnel on Staten Island in March 2023. On all three calls, dozens of FDNY fire dispatchers handled complicated and fluid situations with composure.

"As dispatchers, you're the first link in the chain of survival for New Yorkers in need," Fire Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said. "You're also the voice to help our firefighters, paramedics and EMTs get out the door and provide key information as they respond. Your help allows our units to get to the emergency quickly and safely. ... Without your help, it can be very difficult to get the job done."

Chief of Department John Esposito added: "Teamwork is the foundation of the FDNY and you, our dispatchers, are a critical part of that team and truly unsung heroes in our city. We are the busiest and largest fire department in the country, meaning dispatchers are busy fielding thousands of calls for help daily."

This was the first FDNY dispatcher recognition ceremony since the pandemic.