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Former Armonk Fire Chief Luci Labriola-Cuffe was named to the position, which serves the New York Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC), on Thursday, Dec. 1, OFPC officials announced.
As Deputy State Fire Administrator, Labriola-Cuffe will make sure that the organization's training and education programs meet the new challenges and expanded responsibilities handled by OFPC, including newer threats such as COVID-19 and extreme weather from climate change, according to OFPC officials.
The training programs provided by OFPC are essential, as they are often the only formal training available for volunteer fire departments in the state, OFPC officials said.
"The heroes of New York’s fire service have dedicated their lives to protecting their communities and it’s our responsibility to deliver the best possible training so they can do their jobs safely and effectively. Luci Labriola-Cuffe’s intelligence, professionalism and decades-long career focused on this work made her the clear choice to lead these efforts statewide," said New York State Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray.
Labriola-Cuffe's extensive career includes multiple positions with the Armonk Fire Department, including serving as chief. After this, she also served as chief of fire training with the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services, according to the OFPC.
"Our loss, New York State’s gain," said officials from the Westchester County department in a post.
In a statement, Labriola-Cuffe recognized the importance of her new role.
"I am extremely humbled and excited for this opportunity to bring my experience in training New York’s local career and volunteer fire service to the state level. There is nothing more important than keeping the fire service well trained and maintaining their safety and security given the many new challenges they face, including responding to active shooter incidents or lithium ion battery fires," she said.
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