Daniel Nigro to be named FDNY commissioner

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio Friday will name Daniel Nigro, a former chief of the fire department, to be its next commissioner, according to a city official briefed on the decision.

Nigro, 65, of Queens, who retired in 2002, will be appointed during a ceremony at the FDNY Academy on Randall's Island, the official said.

Shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack, Nigro was named chief of department, the highest-ranking uniformed position in the FDNY. The previous chief died in the World Trade Center collapse. Nigro survived the fall of the Twin Towers and took command of the response.

While a fire chief, Nigro oversaw the 1996 merger between the FDNY and the city's ambulance services. The mayor's office declined to comment Thursday. Calls to Nigro were not returned.

Nigro will replace Salvatore Cassano, who was appointed commissioner by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2010.

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Queens), who chairs the Fire and Criminal Justice Committee, hailed Nigro as a man respected in the department.

"I'm glad he finally made a decision," she said, referring to the mayor. "There is a lot of work that needs to be done."