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Read the press release here.

De Blasio Appoints Former Police Chief Joseph Esposito to Head OEM

 Mayor Bill de Blasio, joined by fire commissioner Dan Nigro and police commissioenr Bill Bratton, announced former police chief Joe Esposito as the head of the Office of Emergency Management.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, joined by fire commissioner Dan Nigro and police commissioenr Bill Bratton, announced former police chief Joe Esposito as the head of the Office of Emergency Management.
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DNAinfo/Colby Hamilton

YORKVILLE — Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed former NYPD Chief of Department Joseph Esposito as the new head of the city’s Office of Emergency Management on Friday.

Esposito replaces outgoing commissioner Joseph Bruno, a hold over from former mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration who has headed the agency for more than a decade.

De Blasio called Esposito a “perfect” fit for the job, given his four decades of experience with the NYPD, including his time spent in the highest uniform position within the department.

“As the head of the office of emergency management, he has to be ready for anything to be thrown at him — anything Mother Nature has in store, any other type of tragedy or challenge,” de Blasio said during a press conference held at Gracie Mansion.

Hurricane Sandy was continually touched upon by de Blasio, Esposito and others, as the city works to avoid what one speaker referred to as an “alarm clock” syndrome.

While the hurricane represented a “wake up call” for the city, de Blasio said Esposito and other officials had to resist the “slippage” of not following through with needed changes.

Esposito said he will continue the work begun after Sandy to critically evaluate the city’s response and look to make lasting improvements going forward.

“I’m going to be constantly assessing plans, programs on how to make them better, so we can address [disasters] such as Sandy,” Esposito said.

Along with Esposito, de Blasio re-appointed OEM First Deputy Commissioner Calvin Drayton to the same position, while adding Dr. Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, as a special unpaid advisor to the Mayor's office.