FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh announced on Saturday that she is planning to resign from her post.

In a statement, Kavanagh said it is time for her to “pass the torch to the next leader of the finest Fire Department in the world.”

She said she will assist with the department’s “transition in leadership” over the next several months before leaving for her “next professional challenge.”

"New York City will always be the love of my life. My dedication to the FDNY has never and will never waver,” she said.

What You Need To Know

  • Kavanagh said it is time for her to “pass the torch to the next leader of the finest Fire Department in the world”

  • Kavanagh was appointed FDNY commissioner in October 2022 after serving as the acting commissioner since February of that same year. She was the first woman to lead the department

  • Kavanagh also faced some controversy during her time as commissioner. Last year, she demoted multiple senior officials, which led to other officials resigning or forfeiting their titles to protest the decision, and prompted some calls for Kavanagh's ouster

Kavanagh was appointed FDNY commissioner in October 2022 after serving as the acting commissioner since February of that same year. She was the first woman to lead the department.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to devote the last 10 years — five as first deputy commissioner and more than two as commissioner — to advocating for the men and women of the FDNY,” she wrote.

Kavanagh—who joined the FDNY in 2014—had notable achievements during her time with the department, including helping with the FDNY's responses to the 2015 Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic, and overseeing the graduation of one of the most diverse classes of female firefighters in decades.

In a statement Saturday, Mayor Eric Adams acknowledged those accomplishments, calling Kavanagh a “trailblazer.”

“She has helped usher in sweeping improvements to the FDNY's technology infrastructure; increased funding for members' health and safety, including for cancer reduction and mental health counseling; and overhauled how the FDNY recruits and retains members of color, leading to the most diverse Fire Department in our city's history, while simultaneously tripling the number of women serving as firefighters,” Adams said.

But Kavanagh also faced some controversy during her time as commissioner. Last year, she demoted multiple senior officials, which led to other officials resigning or forfeiting their titles to protest the decision, and prompted some calls for Kavanagh's ouster.

Those demoted FDNY officials then went on to file a lawsuit claiming they were victims of age discrimination in March 2023, saying Kavanagh "targeted" them "because they were at or near the age of 60."

Asked about the backlash during a March 2023 appearance on "Mornings On 1,” Kavanagh said there was "just no way, as a new leader, to get everything that we need as the largest fire department in the country done without having your own team."

"I think sometimes people forget I am new because I was at the department for almost a decade, but I am just a few months into my tenure, and I want to have my own team," she said.

The mayor emphasized that Kavanagh will continue to lead the department until an “appropriate replacement” is found, though he noted that whoever steps up “will have big shoes to fill.”

The FDNY Uniformed Fire Officers Association released a statement Saturday saying they were "looking forward to working with a new commissioner."

"An agency as dynamic and vital as the FDNY requires strong leadership that adapts to the ever-changing risks we face on the fire ground," the union wrote. “The next commissioner must immediately prioritize the plague of lithium-ion battery fires, an increase in cancer diagnoses for firefighters, and a concerning increase in fire related deaths."