Salvatore J. Cassano is a Consultant at Command Group. Commissioner Cassano and a veteran of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), having served in numerous senior leadership positions, including New York City Fire Commissioner. He is an expert in the areas of fire safety, prevention, and risk management.
 
Commissioner Cassano spent over 44 years in the FDNY and held every uniformed rank prior to being appointed Commissioner by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in January, 2010. As Commissioner, he managed the United States’ largest fire department with more than 16,000 fire, EMS, and civilian members, and an annual budget of $1.6 billion. Commissioner Cassano also served as the FDNY’s Chief of Department - the highest-ranking uniformed officer - from 2006 through 2010, overseeing many of the agency’s most important bureaus including Fire and EMS Operations, Training, Safety, Fire Prevention and Communications. From 2001 to 2006, he served as Chief of Operations - a position to which he was appointed immediately after Sept. 11, 2001. As both Chief of Operations and Chief of Department, Commissioner Cassano played a crucial role in rebuilding the FDNY in the wake of Sept. 11. In the years that followed, more than 6,800 new firefighters were hired and more than 6,000 others were promoted to various officer ranks as the Department went through a difficult but remarkable resurgence. Under his leadership, the FDNY became better equipped, trained, and prepared than ever before in its history, and achieved unprecedented success with the fewest civilian fire fatalities ever and the fastest response times on record.
 
Commissioner Cassano’s career with the FDNY began with his appointment as a firefighter on Nov. 29, 1969. He steadily rose through the ranks with promotions to lieutenant (August 1977), captain (April 1984), battalion chief (August 1987), deputy chief (June 1993), deputy assistant chief (November 1999), and assistant chief (April 2001).
 
Commissioner Cassano has received numerous awards in recognition of his service. In September 2009, Commissioner Cassano was awarded France’s highest decoration, the Legion D’Honneur, by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. He is also a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for his service to the City of New York. During his career, he was honored five times for acts of bravery.
 
Commissioner Cassano holds a BS in Fire Science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He also received an Honorary Doctor of Law Degree from St. John’s University in May 2013. Prior to joining the FDNY, he served in the United States Army.

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Consultant, Command Group

New York City Fire Commissioner, New York City Fire Department

Chief of Department, New York City Fire Department

Chief of Operations, New York City Fire Department

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Contact:
Washington, DC
T: (202) 207-2930
​F: (202) 347-8510