FDNY Foundation

Symposium Lecturers’ Bios

Battalion Chief Joseph R. Downey

Joseph R Downey has 27 years of service with the FDNY. Presently Joe is a Battalion Chief in the Rescue Battalion which falls under the Special Operations Command. The Rescue Battalion responds to all technical rescues and multiple alarm fires in the five boroughs of New York City. Joe has spent 22 of his 27 years working in the Special Operations Command as a firefighter in Squad 1, Lieutenant of Rescue 2, Captain of Squad 18 and Battalion Chief in the Rescue Battalion. He has been a member of NY-TF1′s Urban Search and RescueTeam since it’s inception in 1991. Joe has been a Task Force Leader for NY-TF1 the past nine years and responded to Hurricanes Katrina, Ivan/Gustav as well as the Haiti earthquake. Joe is a Team Leader for FDNY’s SOC-TF which responded to the Broom County floods in 2011 . He is an instructor for the FDNY Battalion Chiefs course and has written articles for WNYF and Fire Engineering.

Chief James J. Manahan Jr. – Assistant Chief of Operations

Chief Manahan has worked for the FDNY since 1978. For the last the last 33 years he has held multiple ranks within the department working in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and Fire Department Headquarters.

Over the past ten years Jim has participated in advanced training programs that were the direct result of 9/11. Working on recommendations from the McKinsey Report and the Federal Government Chief Manahan assisted in incorporating the National Incident Command System into day to day operations of the Fire Department. He attended National Training programs to further develop his leadership skills and understanding of the National Incident Management System. Chief Manahan operated as the Planning Section Chief in New Orleans during the crisis created by hurricane Katrina. He was also the Deputy Incident Commander during the FDNY IMT deployment to Baton Rouge Louisiana and Broome County New York. He has lectured in Chicago, Phoenix, New York, San Diego, and Columbia University on large scale incident management.

Chief Manahan currently is the Assistant Chief of Operations, second in command to the Chief of Operations, running day to day operations within the New York City Fire Department.

Deputy Assistant Chief John Sudnik- Queens Borough Commander.

During a typical tour of duty, he can expect to be the Incident Commander at any major fire or emergency occurring in the borough of Queens, including its surrounding waterways. Ascending through the ranks, he has worked in Midtown Manhattan; Jamaica, Queens; and Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy and East New York sections.
A graduate of City University of New York (CUNY) Baruch College, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Economics. In March, 2006, he earned a Master’s degree in Security Studies (Homeland Security) from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.

Battalion Chief Brian Fink

Battalion Chief Brian Fink is a 28 year veteran of the FDNY. He is currently assigned as the Battalion Commander of Battalion 19 in The Bronx. He served as a FF in Engine 222 in Bedford Stuyvesant/Bushwick, Brooklyn as well as in Engine 75 and Ladder 33 in The West Bronx. He was assigned as a Lieutenant and as a Captain to Ladder 157 in Flatbush, Brooklyn before returning to the Bronx as a Battalion Chief.

Chief Fink has participated as a Fire Academy instructor in the Battalion Chief’s Command Course as well as for the Battalion Chief’s Annual Education Day Classes. He also has been involved in researching and developing a pilot program using new hose line combinations for use at High Rise Standpipe Operations as well as new attack methods for fighting cockloft fires in tenements and commercial taxpayer fires.

Deputy Assistant Chief Stephen A. Raynis- Chief of Safety and Inspection Services Command.

In his role as the Chief of Safety, he is responsible for supervising and coordinating all safety and health investigations required by Department regulations and applicable City, State or Federal law. Additionally, he is charged with the responsibility of instituting, implementing and monitoring safety and accident prevention programs for both the uniformed and civilian work force. Chief Raynis also is responsible for the development and implementation of the annual Risk Management Plan for the FDNY.

Among his educational and professional associations and accomplishments, Steve is a nationally certified Health and Safety Officer, an Incident Safety Officer and a Type II, All Hazard Incident Safety Officer for the FDNY IMT. He is a member of the Fire Department Safety Officers Association, the American Society of Safety Engineers, the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the National Fire Protection Association. He serves on the Technical Committees for NFPA 1500, the Health and Safety Program standard and NFPA 1971, the PPE standard.

Battalion Chief Daniel Melia, Executive Officer to the Chief of Safety

Battalion Chief Daniel Melia has 30 years of firefighting experience, with 13 years as a Chief Officer. Chief Melia is currently the Executive Officer to the Chief of Safety. For the last 10 years Chief Melia has been extensively engaged in the operations of the FDNY’s Safety Command and has been involved in every line of duty death and serious injury investigation since then. He is an Incident Safety Officer for Safety Battalion 1. As a trained investigator for apparatus accidents, firefighter serious injuries, and line of duty deaths, he will bring his knowledge and experience to focus on the issues affecting all types of investigations

Supervising Fire Marshal Andrew DiFusco

Supervising Fire Marshal DiFusco is the Director of Fire Marshal Training for the FDNY.

Battalion Chief Thomas A. Robson is the Executive Officer for the FDNY Fire Academy

B.C. Robson completed the U.S. Military Academy at West Point Combating Terrorism Course in 2005. In 2009, B.C. Robson received a Masters Degree in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense) from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. At the Fire Academy, B.C. Robson is involved with the development of terrorism prevention and response training.

The purpose of his lecture is to increase situational awareness to suspicious activity. It will review small-scale biological and chemical weapons labs, explosive precursors and equipment, and discuss how to create a rational reporting system within your department.

Chief Nicholas Del Re, Chief in Charge of FDNY Haz-Mat.

Nicholas Del Re has been a member of the FDNY since 1985 and an IAFF Master Instructor since 2003. He currently serves as the Chief in Charge of the FDNY Haz-Mat Group which includes over 1,000 Haz-Mat technician Level personnel. He supervises the budget for all equipment and grant allocations. He is a graduate of; the Executive Leaders Training Program delivered at the Naval Post Graduate Academy in Monterey, Ca., the Fire Officers Management Institute Program delivered by Columbia University’s Graduate School at the General Electric Leadership Academy, the FDNY/West Point Military Academy Combating Terriorism Leadership Program and the National Fire Academy’s Master Exercise Design Practitioner Program.
Chief Del Re is the FDNY’s Incident Management Team Division Supervisor and Haz-Mat Technical Specialist. He is also the FDNY Liasion to the United States Marine Corp Chemicial Biological Incident Response Forece Unit, the National Guard CST and the Hazardous Material Group Manager for the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue NYC Task Force 1.

Captain Ian Swords is the Commanding Officer of the HazTac Battalion under the Special Operations Command

Ian Swords was appointed to the FDNY in February, 1999 serving as a Paramedic in Divisions 2 & 5. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2005 and served in Division 1 before being assigned to the HazTac Battalion. He served as the EMS Haz Tac Training Officer from 2008 until being promoted to Captain in 2010. During that time period, he developed the EMS Haz Mat training programs currently in use by the FDNY. Captain Swords holds numerous certifications in hazmat and rescue from the FDNY, National Fire Academy and US Department of Homeland Security. He is a member of FEMA NY-TF1 and is involved with the FDNY Exercise Design Team as a FEMA certified Master Exercise Practitioner.

Battalion Chief George K. Healy

A 20 year veteran of the FDNY, presently assigned to Battalion 51 in the 13th Division Queens New York. Operations section chief Governor’s Island burn testing alternate strategies for combating wind driven firers. Fire service instructor I, Instructor Battalion Chief Command Course and Deputy Chief Development course for the FDNY.

Assistant Chief Joseph Pfeifer- Chief of Counterterrorism and Emergency Preparedness.

Chief Pfeifer is New York City Fire Department’s Chief of Counterterrorism and Emergency Preparedness. He is also a Citywide Command Chief, responsible for commanding major incidents. Pfeifer has commanded some of the largest fires in the Department’s history and was the first Chief at the World Trade Center attack. Since the World Trade Center attacks, he assessed the Department’s 9/11/01 response, identified new budget and policy priorities, helped overhaul management practices, created partnerships to supplement the Department’s existing competencies with new expertise, shaped new technologies for emergency response and developed the FDNY’s first Strategic Plan, the Department’s Terrorism Preparedness Strategy and Marine Operations Strategy. With the support of the Department, Chief Pfeifer founded and directs FDNY’s Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness.

A 29-year veteran of the FDNY, Chief Pfeifer has spoken both nationally and internationally, including the United Nations General Assembly Conference on Fighting Terrorism for Humanity. He is a Fellow at the Ash Center at Harvard’s Kennedy School and the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. In addition, he has lectured at Harvard University, Columbia University, the United States Military Academy, Tsinghua University in Beijing, China’s National School of Administration and to classes from both the Army and Navy War Colleges. Chief Pfeifer holds a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, a Masters in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School and a Masters in Theology from Immaculate Conception. He writes frequently and is published in various books and journals.

Battalion Chief Neil Hintze, Executive Chief Officer FDNY Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness

Battalion Chief Neil Hintze is a 30-year veteran of Fire Department City of New York (FDNY). Chief Hintze’s most recent assignment is that of Executive Chief Officer at the FDNY Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness (CTDP) supervising the Center’s permanent staff and temporary personnel. As the Executive Chief Office, he coordinates, participates in, and manages the exercise design, risk assessment, and emergency response planning components of the Center. Chief Hintze assists in the long-term planning for the Center’s operation and development, and he provides project management guidance for all Center projects. He coordinates and facilitates intra-and inter- department planning meetings and exercises.

He has a M.A., Homeland Security Studies, Naval Post Graduate School, an M.A., Education, Queens College, and a B.A., American Studies, State University of New York. He has completed the Master Exercise Practitioner Program (MEP), FEMA-EMI and NIMS ICS Train-The-Trainer (TTT) 100-400, FEMA-EMI

Deputy Assistant Chief Robert R Maynes-Chief of Planning

Deputy Assistant Chief Maynes is a 31 year veteran of FDNY and currently is the FDNY Chief of Planning. In this capacity he is tasked with supervising the planning of complex events and serves as an Assistant Chief of Operations. He is an original member of the FDNY Incident Management Team, (IMT), starting as the Operations Section Chief in 2002 and as the Incident Commander since 2009. He served as the training coordinator for the IMT from 2004 – 2010 and was tasked with establishing the FDNY IMT as a national resource. He served with the Southwest type one team as an Operations Section Chief and Liaison Officer. Currently he is an instructor mentor for the USFA Type-3 All Hazards IMT course and an approved EMI instructor for six All Hazards Task specific courses.

Battalion Chief Robert Albanese- Battalion 39

Battalion Chief Robert Albanese is a 32 year veteran of the FDNY, with 9 years as a Chief Officer. He served as a firefighter in Engine 271 and Ladder 112 in Bushwick, Brooklyn. He was assigned as a Lieutenant in Engine 255 and as a Captain in Engine 248, both in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Chief Albanese is assigned to Battalion 39 in East New York, Brooklyn but is currently detailed to Safety Battalion 1.

For 7 years Chief Albanese has been engaged in the operations of the FDNY’s Safety Command. He is a trained safety investigator for apparatus accidents, firefighter serious injuries, and line of duty deaths.

Chief Albanese is an All Hazard Type 2 Safety Officer for the FDNY Incident Management Team. He has been deployed to Louisiana for Hurricane Katrina and Gustav as well as special events within the New York City. He is also nationally certified Incident Safety Officer.

Chief Stephen J. Geraghty- Chief of Rescue Operations

Stephen J. Geraghty is a 31 year veteran of the FDNY and is currently assigned to the Special Operations Command where he serves as the Chief of Rescue Operations. Chief Geraghty is responsible for the operations and policies of 5 rescues and 7 squad companies. In addition he also oversees the operation of the Technical Rescue School, SCUBA unit, Rebreather operations TAC support, Dewatering and other support operations. Chief Geraghty previously served as the Chief of the Fire Academy on Randall’s Island where he was involved with the new personal safety systems and restructuring of the Probationary Firefighter School. He is a New York State Fire Instructor, teaches at the Nassau County fire service academy and serves on the NFPA committee for special operation clothing and equipment. As the Chief of Rescue Operations he responds to all major emergencies throughout the city including terrorist related events and multiple causality incidents.

Deputy Chief Michael Ajello – Division 15

Deputy Chief Michael Ajello has 20 years of service with the FDNY. He has 7 years experience as a chief officer. Chief Ajello is currently assigned to Division 15 in Brooklyn, NY.

Battalion Chief Robert Albanese- Battalion 39

Battalion Chief Robert Albanese is a 32 year veteran of the FDNY, with 9 years as a Chief Officer. He served as a firefighter in Engine 271 and Ladder 112 in Bushwick, Brooklyn. He was assigned as a Lieutenant in Engine 255 and as a Captain in Engine 248, both in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Chief Albanese is assigned to Battalion 39 in East New York, Brooklyn but is currently detailed to Safety Battalion 1.

For 7 years Chief Albanese has been engaged in the operations of the FDNY’s Safety Command. He is a trained safety investigator for apparatus accidents, firefighter serious injuries, and line of duty deaths.

Chief Albanese is an All Hazard Type 2 Safety Officer for the FDNY Incident Management Team. He has been deployed to Louisiana for Hurricane Katrina and Gustav as well as special events within the New York City. He is also nationally certified Incident Safety Officer.

Battalion Chief Thomas J. Currao – FDNY Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness

Battalion Chief Tom Currao currently serves as the Chief of Intelligence and Risk Management Section at the FDNY Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness. His main area of responsibility, within the Center, involves the supervision for the production of intelligence assessments, such as Watchline, for the information, awareness and education of FDNY field commanders and units. In addition, the Intelligence Section coordinates and collaborates with the Exercise Design, Emergency Preparedness and Weapons of Mass Destruction Sections to incorporate analysis, intelligence production and risk management strategies. Previous assignments include: Firefighter in Ladder 19, Fire Marshall with the Bronx Fire Investigation Command, Lieutenant in Engine 207, Captain in Engine 48 and Battalion Chief assigned to Battalion 1 in lower Manhattan, where he served as the battalion training officer. In his capacity as training officer, Chief Currao collaborated with both the Bureau of Training and the Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness in the development of tabletop and full scale exercises.

Chief Currao is a graduate of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, West Point Counter Terrorism Leadership Program, the Naval Post Graduate School Master’s Degree Program in Security Studies and Incident Command School (TEEX) at Texas A & M University.

Lieutenant Christopher Flatley: Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness

Lt. Christopher Flatley is a 23-year veteran of the FDNY, currently assigned to Ladder Company 21 in “Hells Kitchen”. Prior to promotion he worked in Ladder Company 2 in “Midtown”. He is currently detailed to the Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness and works as a Master Exercise Practitioner on the Exercise Design Team and information analyst for the Intel Section.

He has presented seminars and lectured nationally on various fire service topics and has written articles for leading fire service publications including “WNYF”, the Official publication of the New York City Fire Department, Firehouse, and Fire Engineering magazines, and “Size Up” the Quarterly Magazine of the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs.