FDNY Appoints First Deputy Commissioner

The First Deputy Commissioner, appointed by the Fire Commissioner, is the second highest ranking civilian administrator in the Department, and is charged with managing the day-to-day operations and activities of the FDNY across all offices and bureaus. Deputy Commissioner Turner was appointed in 2014.

Deputy Commissioner Turner’s 36-year career with the Department started in Brooklyn in 1978, as a Firefighter assigned to Engine 222 in Bedford Stuyvesant, and later at Ladder Company 175 in East New York. Promoted to Lieutenant in 1986, he was assigned to Engine Company 1 and later Ladder 24 in Midtown Manhattan. Turner returned to Brooklyn following his promotion to Captain in 1992, to lead Engine Company 214 in Bedford-Stuyvesant. As Battalion Chief in 1999, Turner was initially assigned to Battalion 35 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn before joining Battalion 46 in Elmhurst, Queens. As Battalion Chief, Turner also served as a Safety Chief, leading safety inspections and investigations in all five boroughs.

In 1985, Commissioner Turner was cited for bravery and awarded the Brooklyn Citizens Medal for responding while off-duty to a fire in his Queens neighborhood. Two hours into January of 1984, he ran barefoot from his home to the scene of a fast-moving fire, removing three occupants before returning to attempt to remove a fourth. Operating on his own and without protective gear before additional units arrived, Turner suffered serious burns and lacerations to both arms during the fire.

Most recently, Deputy Commissioner Turner served as director of the FDNY First Line Supervisor Training Program (FLIPS) where he oversaw the training of all new FDNY Lieutenants, along with fire officers throughout New York State. As an adjunct instructor at John Jay College, he trained fire safety directors and taught courses on emergency action plans (EAPs). Turner has also mentored numerous firefighters and Fire officers now serving in leadership roles in the Department.

Deputy Commissioner Turner is the son of Battalion Chief Robert R. Turner, who served the Department for 41 years. A native New Yorker, he holds a B.A. from John Jay College, and resides in Queens with his wife, Tamara.