© Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News, The Journal News via Imagn Content Services, LLC
(New York, NY) – On Monday, the New York City Fire Department will announce its new commissioner. Fire officials are reportedly preparing to name Robert Tucker the new commissioner. Although he hasn’t served as a firefighter previously, Tucker is a member of the board of trustees of the not-for-profit FDNY Foundation.
The head of a private security company, Tucker will take over for Laura Kavanaugh, who announced she was stepping down last month. Tucker has long term ties to the fire department. The announcement will be made at the FDNY’s academy, on Randall’s Island, at 11:00 AM.
It’s a challenging time for the FDNY as lithium ion batteries have presented a new threat in terms of starting deadly fires. The rechargeable batteries heat up to dangerous temperatures while plugged in, and are considered especially dangerous when refurbished or of the “knock off” variety. Fires have broken out in the lobbies of buildings where multiple e-bikes and scooters were being charged.
City officials have launched a pilot program in a bid to swap out damaged or refurbished batteries. It allows participating delivery workers to charge e-bikes at five public charging stations. They’re located in Manhattan and Brooklyn. In March the Department of Transportation launched a battery swap in a bid to eliminate the more dangerous repaired and knock-off batteries. The program aims to stop workers from charging batteries at home.
