An FDNY battalion chief who was killed in a house explosion will be posthumously promoted to deputy chief, Mayor de Blasio and Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro announced Thursday.
Michael J. Fahy was struck with debris Tuesday when a suspected drug den exploded. Nine other firefighters and six police officers were injured.
Deputy chief is the highest civil service promotional achievement in the FDNY.
The father of three was a 17-year veteran of the department who became a firefighter in 1999.
“Chief Michael Fahy was a very talented member of the FDNY who died protecting and serving our great city,” said de Blasio. “His career was remarkable both for his selfless devotion to duty and his meteoric ascension in rank, which continues today with this deserved promotion to deputy chief in the FDNY.”
Nigro remembered Fahy as a “rising star.”
Friends and family have already begun a long send-off for Fahy. A wake is being held Thursday and Friday at Flower Funeral Home while a mass is expected to be held Saturday at Annunciation Church in Westchester County. Back at Battalion 19, firefighters and police honored Fahy by draping a purple and black bunting on Wednesday morning.
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Fahy is the 1,145th Firefighter to die in the line of duty since the FDNY’s founding in 1865.
“[He] is deserving of this promotion for his selfless dedication and service,” Nigro said.
