Organization
Like most fire departments in the United States, the New York City Fire Department is organized in a paramilitary fashion. The department's executive staff is divided into two areas including a civilian fire commissioner who is in charge of the department and a fire chief who is the operational lead. The current fire commissioner is (former fire chief) Salvatore Cassano, who took over from Nicholas Scoppetta at the start of 2010. The executive staff includes the civilian fire commissioners who are responsible for bureaus within the Department, along with the Chief of Department, Chief of Fire Operations, Chief of EMS, the Chief Fire Marshal and the staff chiefs. Staff chiefs include the seven citywide tour commanders, the Chief of Safety, the Chief of Fire Prevention, and the Chief of Training.
Operationally and geographically, the department are nominally organized into five borough commands for the five traditional boroughs of New York. Within those Borough Commands exist nine divisions, each headed by a Deputy Chief. Within each division operate four to seven battalions, led by a Battalion Chief and typically consisting of 180–200 firefighters and officers. Each battalion consists of four to eight companies, with a company being led by a Captain. He commands three Lieutenants and 16–42 Firefighters. Last is the unit consisting of the members of the company on call during a given tour, consisting of a Lieutenant or a Captain plus a number of Firefighters depending on the type of unit: 3–4 Firefighters on an engine company, 5 on a ladder company, (also known as a truck company), 5 for a rescue company, 5 for a squad company, 4 for a marine company, and 6 for the hazardous materials company.
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