LIEUTENANT ABDELRAHMAN ABDELAZIZ
Squad 18
1. What is your name, title and years at FDNY? Where are you currently assigned, and what are your work-related responsibilities?
My name is Lieutenant Abdel Aziz, which is short for Abdel Rahman Abdel Aziz. I started with FDNY in 2002, first as an EMS for two and a half years. I joined Fire Operations in 2005.
2. What called you to a life of public service at FDNY?
I’m assigned to Squad 18 and am one of the three lieutenants. As EMTs, we respond to different medical emergencies. We provide basic life support to the citizens of NY. Squad 18 is one of 13 companies in Special Operations. We are trained in many different disciplines: high angle (ropes), confined space, Hazmat, extrication, collapse and many others. We cover from the lower tip of Manhattan up to about 90th Street. I’m also the Chief of Fire Operations executive officer. My job as executive officer is to be an assistant the chief with anything he needs to get done. It’s a fluid position.
3. Can you share one of your most memorable moments while working at FDNY?
When I was EMT, delivering my first baby was a big deal. So far, I’ve delivered six—all girls—which is awesome, I think. As a firefighter, my first fire, I still vividly remember. It was a Wednesday around 5:50 p.m., and it was around 100 degrees. I didn’t know what I was doing, but it worked out, and I was like, “This is the best job in the world.”
4. What does We Are FDNY mean to you?
Whenever you look at the campaign poster, it’s awesome to see the different positions in the Fire Department because it’s not just firefighters, EMTs and paramedics. There’s a lot of civilians and units behind the scenes that sometimes we forget about who are very vital to our job. I also like to see the diversity on the job because the job has changed in the last 20 years, and I believe the more different ideas you get, the stronger it makes us as a department.
5. What is your superpower (best quality or skill)?
My biggest superpower is caring about the people that I work with and the public we serve every day. I’m very protective of my people, making sure they are taken care of.
6. How does your role support the public safety mission of the FDNY?
We’re always training. We’re always trying to be ever more ready for that emergency, fire, every time we go out the door. I always wear my gear, and I try to put myself in the best position to help and protect the public.