Happy Valentine’s Day! Our celebration of FDNY love is back for another year. Whether you’re married, divorced, single, in a relationship or situationship, it doesn’t matter. Our romantic stories are for everyone. Don’t let this special day go by without joining us below to meet power couples The Ramdayals and The Rogers.
Join FDNY: What’s it like working in the same place as your spouse?
Rescue Medic Lisset Ramdayal: It works well. A lot of our friends are in the same circle and are considered our work family. It’s stress free as well, because if I have a bad day, he understands.
Deputy Chief Kevin Ramdayal: We are each other’s support system. We can talk to each other and be each other’s peer support.
Join FDNY: Why do you love working for the FDNY?
Rescue Medic Ramdayal: I migrated to the United States in 1999 from Ecuador with my family. This Department is a great place to work because it’s my way of giving back to the community. Working in a career like this in the country that has given my family so much opportunity is my way of giving back.
Deputy Chief Ramdayal: The core reason why I love doing what I do is because I enjoy medicine and helping people in their time of need. The FDNY is different because aside from the service we deliver to New York City, there is room for growth. It’s a place where you can advance as long as you apply yourself.
Join FDNY: Balancing work and family life can be challenging. Tell us how you two make it work?
Rescue Medic Ramdayal: We have two different schedules, so it’s a great balance. I work the night shift while he’s in the day. Someone is always able to be at home with our three kids.
Deputy Chief Ramdayal: It works well. In the mornings, she makes the kids breakfast and drops them off at school. Then I have the kids in the afternoon and we will go over homework together and so forth. We work together as a family and that’s what’s important.
Join FDNY: You two have been married since 2013, so what’s the key to longevity in your marriage?
Rescue Medic Ramdayal: Being able to take family vacations is important. We have to value our time together. We try to at least spare our weekends and make plans with the family and try to schedule at least several nights out of the month for date nights.
Deputy Chief Ramdayal: Don’t let work take over your life. You need to balance work and your personal life. Our responsibilities are different since we have different roles in the Department, but we plan our work load accordingly to make time for our family.
Join FDNY: What do you like about celebrating Valentine’s Day?
Rescue Medic Ramdayal: Valentine’s Day is special because we keep things professional at work, but on this day, we’re a bit more open and showcase our love. This year we’re having dinner and going to a Broadway show and which show is still a surprise, so that’s exciting.
Deputy Chief Ramdayal: We value our love and time together all year round, but Valentine’s Day is nice because it’s a special day to celebrate our love. I’m looking forward to our date night.
Deputy Chief Inspector Emanuela Rogers and Chief Inspector Joseph Rogers have been married for two years.
Join FDNY: What’s it like working in the same place as your spouse?
Deputy Chief Inspector Emanuela Rogers: It’s so different. Although we both work in the Bureau of Fire Prevention, we are in two separate units. We are in the same building, same floor, but opposite sides. He works in Special Operations and does special inspections. I write and implement the codes. We both work the day tour, but he’s always on call.
Chief Inspector Joseph Rogers: Very interesting and it’s a lot of fun. We are in the same environment and we understand each other’s job, so the stress is little lower. The long hours are understood and on call is expected.
Join FDNY: Why do you love working for the FDNY?
Deputy Chief Inspector Rogers: There are so many opportunities here and so much room for advancement. The training is second to none and so are the members.
Chief Inspector Rogers: I absolutely love the reward of the job. The Bureau of Fire Prevention is the primary force in being proactive for so many New Yorkers, whether it’s their home or place of business. We deal with everything in New York City from the schools, the bridges to special events. It’s rewarding being able to educate people, help prevent fires, and help maintain safety for the public and our uniformed members of the Department.
Join FDNY: Balancing work and family life can be challenging. Tell us how you two make it work?
Deputy Chief Inspector Rogers: We try to make it work on the weekends and dedicate time to the family. Either go to outings with the family or participate in an activity.
Chief Inspector Rogers: We really try to balance time. I work in Special Operation Unit and my position takes a lot more time because I’m on call a lot. It’s a give and take, we try to work our way around our schedules. She understands it and I appreciate that.
Join FDNY: You two have been married since 2020, so what’s the best part about being married so far?
Deputy Chief Inspector Rogers: Going home and talking about our days. He has amazing stories of inspections that he’s done. Being together working for the same agency is great too because we have one big extended coworker family.
Chief Inspector Rogers: We not only have a relationship together, we have a family here at the FDNY. She’s part of the team and it works out in so many ways. We get to do stuff together. A couple of years ago, we were in Times Square working together for New Year’s Eve.
Join FDNY: What do you like about celebrating Valentine’s Day?
Deputy Chief Inspector Rogers: I like that we make a special dinner together or go out somewhere special, but every day is Valentine’s Day.
Chief Inspector Rogers: Valentine’s Day plans are always special because I love being around her. She’s not only my wife, but she’s definitely one of my best friends.
