FDNY's Top Uniformed Officer: A New Run for Chief Cassano

FDNY's Top Uniformed Officer
A New Run for Chief Cassano

By GINGER ADAMS OTIS

It's a long journey from the rough-and-tumble Brooklyn docks of the 1960s to the highest uniformed position within the Fire Department, but avid marathon runner Salvatore Cassano proved he could go the distance June 17, when he officially took over for retiring Chief of Department Peter Hayden.

BIG SHOES TO FILL: New FDNY Chief of Department Salvatore Cassano, who just succeeded the retiring Peter Hayden, said he will strive to continue the progress the department has made as it recovered from the toll of 9/11, putting a particular emphasis on safety, training, and long-term physical fitness among firefighters. In doing so, Mr. Cassano - who had been the FDNY Chief of Operations - replaces a Chief of Department who, notwithstanding his reputation as a strict disciplinarian, won the respect and loyalty of rank-and-file firefighters and officers. Mr. Hayden cemented his standing among those he commanded by going public last spring with his concerns that a citywide emergency response plan putting Police Officers in charge of haz-mat incidents until terrorism could be ruled out would endanger firefighters and the public.

'A Real Loss to Us'

Chief Michael Canty summed up the feelings of many when he said of Chief Hayden: "He was the consummate chief. The Fire Department sustained a real loss when he retired."

Chief Cassano, who sat next to Mr. Hayden 14 months ago when he reiterated concerns about the emergency response protocols to the City Council that he first voiced in the New York Times, said in a June 13 phone interview that "it was an honor and a pleasure to work with Pete. We have worked together many times during our careers and no matter what rank we were, we always had the same goal: to make sure the members of the department are safe. And we never differed on that."

Regarding Chief Hayden's Council appearance, Mr. Cassano said, "I don't know how I would have handled that situation because I am my own person, and I wasn't in that position at that time - he was the Chief of Department. But I wanted to be there with him in his endeavor."

Respect for rank comes naturally to Chief Cassano, who grew up working alongside his father on the Brooklyn docks. Shortly after leaving high school he was drafted into the Army and sent to Vietnam.

Swayed in Xuan Loc

It was there, stationed in 1966 for 11 months in the city of Xuan Loc, a place Chief Cassano hopes to return to someday, that he began receiving letters from the man he cited as a major influence in his firefighting career: his older brother Pat.

"He had taken the exam in 1963 and got on the job while I was in Vietnam. He would write me letters and tell me how great it was and that I should take the exam when I got home," said Chief Cassano. "I was thinking, 'What is this guy, crazy? I want to go home and make some money.'''

But when he did return to his close-knit Brooklyn family, which also included his mother and two sisters, Chief Cassano couldn't find satisfaction back on the docks with his father, or in the banking career he briefly launched.

Soon he began visiting his older brother at Engine Co. 10 in lower Manhattan. The camaraderie he witnessed - along with the discipline demanded of firefighters - reminded him of his two years as a member of the 11th Armored Calvary. It wasn't long before he followed his brother into the department.

An Extension of Military

"I can't tell you how much being in the military helped me. You learn to follow orders and the chain of command, and the traditions of the 11th Armored Calvary - live together, die together, take care of one another - closely parallel the FDNY," said Chief Cassano. He believes the department's bond with the military only strengthened after 9/11, when it received equipment, training and funding from the Coast Guard and other organizations.

Chief Cassano spent his first years on the job stationed in lower Manhattan. He busied himself studying for the Lieutenant's exam, which he passed in 1977, and getting a degree from John Jay College. He also built a family, marrying his wife, Theresa, after meeting her on a blind date set up by his sister. They now have five children.

"I remember a place with rundown lofts, no galleries or anything - but just before I left, you could see the change in the architecture: slowly, slowly things were renovating, and there was a shift in the flavor and culture of the neighborhood," he said, still marveling over the economic transformation of Tribeca and Soho. "I go there now, and it's amazing. One of the trendiest places in the world, I think."

Focus on Safety, Training

Despite the fond memories, Chief Cassano isn't one to live in the past. In taking over as Chief of Department, he said, his primary goal will be to ensure the FDNY keeps moving forward.

"I have some ideas on how best to do that, which I'll be reviewing. I really want to focus on the safety aspect of firefighting and training," he stated. "One of my main goals is not to lose ground, to not take a step back in the progress we've made since 9/11. That may become more of an issue now that some [Federal Homeland Security] funds might be cut."

Other goals involve moving forward with plans to further consolidate the Emergency Medical Service Bureau into the department, and increasing the emphasis on physical fitness for the duration of a firefighter's career.

Chief Cassano, who has competed many times in the New York City Marathon and the Long Island Marathon and still jogs three-to-four miles every morning, is adamant about keeping up FDNY smoking cessation programs and incorporating a healthy diet into the firehouse lifestyle.

'Tremendous Stress'

"The stress of this job is tremendous. One minute you're sitting down, the next you're crawling down a hallway fighting a fire," he said. "Preparation is key - both physical and mental."

Although Chief Cassano has his eyes fixed on some distant mileposts, he's also aware that any transition of power in the FDNY sends an immediate ripple of concern through the rank-and-file while they assess the scope of the change.

His recent ascension has been viewed with more suspicion than usual, because the Uniformed Fire Officers' Association in its most recent contract gave up civil service status for Chief of Department for a bargaining credit. Once legislation codifying that change is passed, the Fire Commissioner has full discretion in picking the FDNY chiefs instead of having to choose from the three highest-scorers on the civil service exam.

'I'll Do What I Have To'

"That absolutely doesn't affect my approach. I would command this department the way I see fit whether I was on the list or off the list," said Chief Cassano. "I think I owe it to the members, the public and the city who are entrusting me to be at the helm during such a precarious time in our history. I'm going to do what I have to while I'm here; otherwise, if you worry about the other things, you're not going to get anything done."

His brother Pat, who had to retire as a Captain in 1976 after getting injured on the job, said not much had changed about Chief Cassano over the years.

"He's a hard-working man. He inherited it from his father, and he's been that way all his life," Pat Cassano said of Sal. "I feel that the city of New York has got itself a wonderful new Chief of Department."