FDNY debunks memo from Chief of Fire Operations trends now

A fake memo circulated on Tuesday suggesting the FDNY in New York City would start housing migrants in firehouses.

The fire department was allegedly inundated with queries regarding the now-debunked memo, which suggested an 'emergency effort' was underway to put migrants in fire stations as soon as Wednesday.

'Tuesday night, a letter appearing to be an official FDNY internal document was circulated, purporting that firehouses will be used to house migrants,' FDNY press secretary Amanda Farinacci said in a statement.

'This is categorically false. The document is a fake, and there will be no firehouses used to house migrants,' she added.

The debunked memo, dated June 6, suggested that the Mayor had issued an order requiring that the 'Commanding Officer of each firehouse will immediately contact their Battalion and notify them of the amount of beds they have available for migrants seeking asylum'.

It also suggested officers would have to provide door codes to migrants, triggering outrage on social media were it initially spread. 

'First it was they were being placed at the old NYPD Academy now they must be housed at FDNY Firehouses. Talk about a real security risk,' wrote one person who did not doubt the document's veracity. 

The hoax was delivered in the form of a memo, claiming to come from the FDNY Chief of Fire Operations, John Esposito.

Esposito joined the department in 1991 and was assigned to Engine Company 324 in Queens. Over the next 30 years, he climbed its ranks and was appointed Chief of Fire Operations in July 2022.

But in February attempted to resign from his position after Commissioner Laura Kavanagh demoted three chiefs in June, leaving the FDNY's ranks in turmoil.