Buffalo, NY – Today, Mayor Byron W. Brown named former Buffalo Fire Department (BFD) Battalion Chief William Renaldo to lead the BFD, building on his Administration’s continued commitment to further strengthen public safety citywide to meet the demands of a growing Buffalo. Renaldo has more than 30 years of experience in the Fire Service and is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, with 40 years of military experience.
“Keeping our City safe is among my Administration’s top priorities and I know that our new Fire Commissioner has what it takes to bring the Department into its next chapter of excellence,” said Mayor Brown. “His unwavering commitment to fire service and public safety distinguishes him as a remarkable leader. I am pleased that he has accepted this appointment and look forward to working with him to continue to keep Buffalo safe.”
A well-respected leader in the BFD, Renaldo returns to the Department with decades of first-hand knowledge, deep operational familiarity, and extensive leadership experience from his time with BFD and in the U.S. Armed Forces. Fire Commissioner Renaldo is a 30 year veteran of the Buffalo Fire Department and a former Buffalo Fire Battalion Chief, employed from 1982-2012. He served on active duty in the United States Army for four years (1975-1979), before serving in the United States Army Reserve until 2014. During his tenure as Battalion Chief, he distinguished himself with hard work, dedication to duty and a strong record of performing complex emergency service and administrative work with a broad range of responsibilities from the direction of emergency operations, to review of administrative reports and payroll to ensure accuracy and completeness, to the coordination of overall training, including all aspects of emergency response, disaster planning and fire prevention and education.
During his military career, Renaldo has received numerous individual awards and decorations for meritorious acts of bravery, including a Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Combat Action Badge
(CAB), Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and many more. Renaldo has a B.S. in Criminal Justice, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Public Management from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
“For more than 30 years, I’ve worked with the men and women of the BFD, and I couldn’t be prouder to lead this team. Our courageous firefighters sacrifice to protect this City each day, and I will ensure the Department has the resources to provide the highest level of service to all of our residents. Mayor Brown has outlined a strong vision for the future of this Department—one that provides for the best of services for all our residents equally and reflects our City’s diverse communities—and I look forward to making this vision a reality,” said incoming BFD Commissioner Renaldo.
The appointment comes a week after the graduation of a new class of Buffalo firefighters to the rank-and- file of the BFD and continues Mayor Brown’s commitment to increase the number of minorities and women on the firefighting force.