The FDNY has stripped the head of Emergency Medical Services of his command in the wake of last month’s disastrous response to the blizzard. Chief John Peruggia was demoted from his position as Chief of EMS shortly after scores of ambulances were left stranded by the massive snowstorm.Peruggia will be replaced by Abdo Nahmod, a 25-year-veteran of the FDNY considered a rising star in its ranks, officials said.
The outgoing chief served six years as head of EMS Command but is about to face charges from the city Conflict of Interest Board that he inappropriately took a trip with a vendor, FDNY sources said.
Peruggia will stay on with the FDNY, the department announced.
Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano, who has begun restructuring the EMS command, is elevating its chief from three to four stars – which Nahmod will now have, the FDNY said.
“We have made some changes and, despite Chief Peruggia’s dedicated service to this Department, I felt new leadership was needed at this time,” Cassano said.
“Last week’s blizzard presented tremendous challenges for the Department that are currently being addressed with an eye toward improving performance going forward.”
{NY Daily News/Matzav.com}
