As FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh prepares to step down from her position this week after nearly two years in the role, she described her departure as “bittersweet.”

“I've been there for a decade, so I'm very attached to everybody I work with. And we say it's a family, and it really is. I worry about them—it's a family. It’s going to be tough to say goodbye, even though it's the right time,” Kavanagh said during an interview on “Mornings On 1” Monday.

Appointed by Mayor Eric Adams in 2022, Kavanagh, 42, made history as the first woman to lead the city's fire department.

During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives to boost pay for EMS workers, tackle the rise in lithium-ion battery fires and enhance diversity within the department. Her last day on the job will be Wednesday.

In a post on the website Medium, Kavanagh said she was leaving her position to spend more time with family and friends.

“Life is short. No place has taught me that more profoundly than the FDNY. Nothing is more important to me than my community. But in this job, it is impossible to give your all to the FDNY and your life,” she wrote. “It’s time for me to give that time back to all the people who made it possible in the first place for me to serve our beloved city for so long.”

There had been some speculation about Kavanagh’s departure being related to a strained relationship with Adams, especially following an FDNY scandal that saw three of the department's top brass demoted and others resign in solidarity. However, Kavanagh dispelled the rumors.

“He’s been very supportive. He’s asked me to stay, I’ve asked to have a break, and he’s been respectful of that,” she said. “I’ve learned in a job like this—and especially if you’re going to be first—rumors will abound. You cannot listen to them, or they will distract you. So it’s nothing new that there’d be rumors flying, but none of that has any truth to it.”

Kavanagh said serving as the first woman fire commissioner has meant a lot to her, and she hopes to see more women step into leadership positions.

“We do forget how rare it is actually to see women in positions of power, and that’s something we all have to get used to, men and women alike. It’s a new thing. We respond to it differently, and it’s so important that we try to get not only to that first, but past that first, and normalize women in positions of power,” she said.

Meanwhile, Kavanagh highlighted the personal connections she formed with department members as her favorite part of the job.

“The part I love is talking to the members, so I spend hours at the firehouse kitchen table, the EMS break room, the 911 call centers, over coffee, over meals—that really is the job. That, to me, is everything,” she said.

Adams and his administration have expressed hopes that Kavanagh might remain involved with the city in some capacity, but Kavanagh said she has yet to make any final decisions.

“I have told everyone, including the mayor, that I’m taking at least six weeks off. I don’t think you should make any big life decision when you’re tired. I am going to spend time with my family, and then when I get back, I will have those conversations,” she said.