Marcano Sworn In As Assistant Fire Chief

The friends and colleagues of Orlando ​“Woody” Marcano, New Haven’s first Latino assistant fire chief, described him Thursday at his swearing in as a man of peculiar dedication: to his family, his faith and his department.

The 23-year New Haven Fire Department veteran, who will turn 47 Friday, was sworn in as assistant chief of administration at City Hall before a crowd of over 100 friends, family, city officials and fellow firefighters. The event drew leading members of the Latino community, who expressed pride in his breaking a barrier.

With his left hand on his wife’s Bible and his right raised, Marcano recited the oath of office, dictated to him by Mayor Toni Harp, who appointed him to the position. Marcano then thanked his family, his colleagues in his department and the city, and, above all, God, for the opportunity to serve in this new role.

“I am in perpetual awe of what He has entrusted this lump of clay with,” Marcano said Thursday, pointing to himself.

Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker, who spoke at Thursday’s ceremony, called Marcano ​“a man of integrity.” State Rep. Juan Candelaria, the emcee, described Marcano as a man who earned the respect of his colleagues through years of hard work.

At one point in the ceremony, Candelaria declared proudly that Marcano is the first Puerto Rican to achieve the rank of assistant chief. This statement was met with raucous applause from the crowd.

Marcano said his new job will be largely administrative. He will oversee the department’s finances, communications and disciplinary measures.

Fire Chief John Alston said Marcano also will help him shape the department’s culture and direction.

“The ship is moving in the right direction, but your hand and mine will be on the wheel and on the tiller,” Alston said.

Alston told the Independent that Marcano’s appointment will take a load off of his back. When he became fire chief, several of the leadership positions within the fire department were unfilled. He said he was forced to handle the responsibilities normally shouldered by these other department leaders, including the administrative work usually handled by the assistant chief.

Now that he has an assistant chief, Alston said, he will be able to focus on innovation within the department. He has plans in the works, including using drones to help fight fires, revising the department’s operating procedures and rotating and reassigning staff based on the findings from a department-wide study that has been months in the making.

Marcano was born in Manhattan and moved to the Elm City in 1994. After studying at Gateway Community College, Marcano joined the fire department. He was promoted to lieutenant three years after starting the job and spent much of the ensuing years raising his two daughters, who are now 12 and 16. He was promoted to captain two years ago, then to battalion chief last year, and now, finally, to the second-highest position within the department.

In his free time Marcano leads Bible study groups at his church.

Marcano has seen many fires and much calamity over his 23 years in the department. But he told the Independent that the most memorable moment of his career so far was Thursday’s ceremony.

“This was emotionally overwhelming,” he said.