Thirty city firefighters became lieutenants Wednesday in a promotion ceremony presided over by Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro, who welcomed the department’s first Asian woman to the fire officer ranks.
Lt. Sarinya Srisakul celebrated her new position along with another woman, Lt. Shkendi Demiri. It was the first time two women got promoted at the same ceremony.
Srisakul, also the former president of United Women Firefighters, said it would be “bittersweet” to leave Engine 5, her home of 14 years, even as she makes history as the FDNY’s first Asian woman officer.
“Becoming an officer is something that I always wanted to do because I always looked up to the women officers in the United Women Firefighters organization, and I hope seeing me getting promoted helps other women to know that they can achieve what they want in their careers, too, as long as they work hard and stay focused on their goals,” Srisakul said.
With Srisakul’s promotion, the FDNY now has two women of color serving as fire officers at the same time — another first for the 11,000-strong department.
“Each of these newly promoted has spent their career responding to fires and medical emergencies and will now become our frontline supervisors, ensuring our obligation to protecting life and property in New York,” Commissioner Nigro said at the Brooklyn ceremony.
“From day one, these members swore to protect New Yorkers and their commitment to leadership continues in their new roles.”
The new officers will be assigned to units throughout the city.