Employee Bulletin

Daniel A. Nigro,
Fire Commissioner
James E. Leonard,
Chief of Department
THE FDNY
Employee Bulletin
December 1, 2016 • Volume XXVI • Issue No. 24
News
9-11-related work of
art presented to the
FDNY, p. 2.
Applause
Barbara A. Mollica
talks about being an
advocate, p. 5.
Career & Workplace
Getting to know NYC
sales taxes, p. 6.
Photo of the Week
38 paramedics join the
FDNY, p. 8.
A publication of the
Bureau of
Human Resources
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2016 Administrative Awards and Medals, who will be honored
for their outstanding work during a ceremony on Dec. 1 at FDNY Headquarters.
Administration Medal — Ronald J. Cassiglia, Jr.,
Computer Specialist, MAPS Unit
Leon Lowenstein Award — Firefighter Carl W.
Scheetz, Rescue 1, Bureau of Fire Operations
George F. Mand Award — Capt. Man Wai Law,
Absence Control Coordinator, Human Resources
Chief Thomas P. O’Brien Award — Natalia C.
Tobon, Fire Alarm Dispatcher, Bureau of Communications
Fire Commissioner’s Award for Outstanding
Service — Dr. Douglas A. Isaacs, Division
Medical Director, Office of Medical Affairs
Moe Ginsberg Award — Tamara Saakian,
Director of Engineering, Technology Management
Unit, Bureau of Fire Prevention
James J. Johnston Memorial Medal — Fitzroy
V. Benjamin, Chief Inspector, High-Rise Unit/
Shelter Task Force, Bureau of Fire Prevention
Honorary Chief of Department Jack Lerch
Medal — Jomar Pichardo, Auto Mechanic,
Ambulance Shop, Bureau of Fleet Services
Honorable Fire Officers Association Medal —
Lt. Richard Bruno, Scheduling Unit Head, Bureau
of Training
Community Mayors Nick DeGaeta Award —
Community Affairs Unit (Fabricio Caro, Clement
James and Timothy Smith), Bureau of External
Affairs
Commissioner Martin Scott Medal — Fire
Marshal Kenneth W. Hettwer, Citywide South
Command, Bureau of Fire Investigations
Fire Commissioners Award for Meritorious
Service — Chief Robert G. Byrnes, Chief Fire
Marshal, Bureau of Fire Investigations
Fire Commissioners Award for Meritorious
Service — Haz Tac Competency Unit (Lt.
Raphael Ramirez, Lt. John Tims, EMT Lido
Aviles, EMT Joshua Sutherland, EMT Liam
Glinane, EMT Victor Basabe, EMT Kevin Rugg,
EMT Kevin Ohara, EMT Jane Cubilette, EMT
Edwin Hernandez and EMT Tracey Calhoun)
Fire Commissioners Award for Meritorious
Service — Rona John-Dodson, Executive
Secretary to the Assistant Commissioner, Bureau
of Human Resources
EMS Emergency Medical Dispatch Commendation
— EMT Shayssa Micheli, Emergency
Medical Dispatch, Bureau of Communications
EMS Office of Medical Affairs Dr. Sheridan
Commendation — ST-Elevation Myocardial
Infarction (STEMI) Program (Dr. Nikolaos
Alexandrou, EMS Capt. Gilbert Caicedo and Paramedic
Joshua Bucklan), Office of Medical Affairs

News
‘Steel Standing’ The FDNY was presented with photography
from Anthony Whitaker (third from right), award-winning artist
and founder of the Steel Standing Memorial Foundation on Nov.
21 at FDNY Headquarters. The framed print is more than six feet
tall. Learn more at steelstanding.org.
In the Network The FDNY’s Bureau of Fiscal Services
hosted a Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise
(M/WBE) networking event at FDNY Headquarters on Nov.
2. The event featured exhibitors from 15 city agencies, including
the Department of Small Business Services
(SBS). More than 140 New York City-certified M/WBE vendors
were in attendance and met one-on-one with agency
representatives. (Photo by David Francis.)
March of Thanks Dozens of FDNY veterans
marched in the annual Veterans Day Parade in
Manhattan on Nov. 11.
Four Star Salute Under Secretary and
Chief Management Officer of the U.S.
Army Patrick J. Murphy (sixth from
left) visited the members of Engine 10/
Ladder 10 in lower Manhattan on Nov.
10.
2
Happy Trails
Best wishes and congrats to these FDNY employees who are retiring.
EMT Carletha Rushing
EMT Jacinto Medina
Paramedic Joseph Fazzino Supervising FAD Frank Raffaele
EMT Hector Medina
Giving Spirit The FDNY joined
the National Law Enforcement
and Firefighters Children’s Foundation
for their Thanksgiving
Breakfast on Nov. 24 in Bryant
Park. More than 1,300 children
and relatives of fallen first responders
attended.

Upcoming
Join the FDNY Triathlon Team
Have you ever thought of doing a triathlon? Or wondered how
to become a stronger competitor?
Come to the FDNY Triathlon Team info session to meet the
team’s board members, talk to current team members, and
hear about what is planned for the 2017 season.
When: Dec. 7, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Fire Academy, Randalls Island, Building 12 cafeteria
This meeting is open to anyone interested in learning more.
For questions or more information, contact Paramedic Eddie
Signer, Station 57, at Eddie.Signer@gmail.com.
FDNY Women’s History Month Award Ceremony
The FDNY’s Women’s History Month Award ceremony, sponsored by the Department’s
Quality of Work Life (QWL)
Committee, will be held March 30,
2017. The national theme will be
“Honoring Trailblazing Women in Labor
and Business.”
All FDNY employees are encouraged
to nominate exceptional FDNY female
employees in any title (civilian, EMS
or uniform) for this honor. Forms are
available on the intranet or via the
FDNY’s Office of Labor Relations at
(718) 999-2549. Nominations must be
received by Jan. 6, 2017.
Working Advantage
Did you know that as a NYC employee, you
can join Working Advantage for free and
enjoy discounts on top shows, theme parks,
events, hotels, restaurants, retail brands and
more?
It’s easy! Visit workingadvantage.com and
use company identification number
317726853.
(Note all offers are subject to change at any
time.)
Administrative Awards
FDNY Headquarters
9 Metrotech Center, Brooklyn
Dec. 1, 11 a.m.
Santa Party
FDNY Headquarters
9 Metrotech Center, Brooklyn
Dec. 3, 9 a.m.
Also Ahead
FDNY Holiday Party
NYC Fire Museum
278 Spring St., 3 rd Fl.
Dec. 8, 6 to 10 p.m.
$45 per person due by Dec. 2 to Angel
Scott, Laly Rivera and Yelena Kordova
Probationary Firefighters Swearing In
Fire Academy
Building 9, Auditorium, Randalls Island
Dec. 12, 7:30 a.m.
WTC Plaque Dedication for
FF Frank Fontanino
Engine 155/Ladder 78
14 Brighton Ave., Staten Island
Dec. 12, 11 a.m.
Blood Drive
FDNY Headquarters
9 Metrotech Center, Brooklyn
Dec. 19 and 20,
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 3

Applause
EMT Renata Batista
EMT Renata Batista,
EMS Station
14, was on her way to
work at around 5:30
a.m. on Nov. 14,
when she saw a 7-
year-old boy walking
alone on the ramp to
the Major Deegan
Expressway.
EMT Batista immediately
pulled over on
the highway and
spoke with the child.
Recognizing the cold
temperatures and dangerous
environment could be harmful to the boy, she decided
to drive him a few blocks to the safety of Station 14.
EMS members evaluated the boy, provided him with food
and water, and brought him to the Lincoln Hospital emergency
room to be evaluated.
With the help of NYPD, the special needs child, who had
wandered from home, was reunited with his mother.
Firefighter for a Day Challenge
Employees from FDNY Headquarters took on the Firefighter for a Day
challenge at the Fire Academy on Randalls Island on Nov. 15.
Thirty-three participants from bureaus throughout the Department
donned full turnout gear and participated in various events, including
vehicle extrication, hose line stretch, fire extinguishment
and search and rescue.
The annual event allows FDNY staff to better understand the
difficulties firefighters face every day and gain an inside look at
the job.
“EMT Batista’s quick response avoided a potentially catastrophic
event,” Division Chief Alvin Suriel, Division 2, said.
Bureau of Communications
The FDNY’s EMS and Fire Dispatchers in the Bureau of
Communications receive applause for their generous and
giving spirit.
On Nov. 4, the group donated nearly $500 to Memorial
Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to thank them for all the
work they do combatting the disease.
The donation was made on behalf of EMT Sal Turturici.
4

Applause
FDNY Family Portraits:
Barbara A. Mollica
Barbara A. Mollica’s title, Associate
Retirement Benefits Examiner/Seminar
Coordinator, in the
FDNY’s Pension Bureau, indicates
she helps uniformed members
through the retirement process.
But she knows her role as
bigger than that.
“My favorite part of the job is
dealing with the members, helping
them out,” she said. “They’re going
through a tough time – a transition
– and I’m their advocate.”
This fighting spirit was instilled
almost at birth.
Barbara said she
was born with her
lower legs turned
backwards. She had
surgery, but her
parents were told she probably would never
walk. Yet she defied the odds and took
her first steps just before age 2.
She grew up not far from FDNY Headquarters,
the youngest of six girls. Her father,
who worked on the docks and drove a limousine,
was the disciplinarian of the family;
while her mother, who ran a candy store
and worked as a bookkeeper, was gentler.
“Our father’s strictness and hardworking
personality made all of us very tenacious,
strong-minded and determined to succeed in
everything,” she said. “While our mother’s
warm nature taught us to have compassion.”
As a young adult, she lived with her sister in
New Jersey, before moving back to Brooklyn
a few years later to marry and start a family.
Barbara had a son and daughter – Erik and
Kristen — and she credits them for helping
her find her passion.
“I was told I was a strong advocate for
them,” she said. “And it’s carried through
my life.”
Her fighting spirit was tested through the
years, as she endured several surgeries
before joining the FDNY, one of which
disabled her for more than a year. But she
continued pushing to ensure her children
had a bright future.
When she was in her 40s, she decided to
begin a new chapter in her life and go back
to school. She earned an associate degree
in liberal arts from Kingsborough Community
College and was then accepted into a
bachelor’s and master’s degree honors program
at John Jay College of Criminal Justice,
with a focus on forensic psychology.
Family issues forced her to stop just short
of graduating from John Jay, but the
knowledge and experience stuck with her.
So when her children were teenagers, she
reached out to a former professor at Kingsborough,
explaining she was “a little
bored” and wanted to try something new.
It was suggested she come back to the
school to work part-time as an advocate
for special needs students.
She jumped at the opportunity. And the
role required her to do anything necessary
to help the young adults, including
tutoring and attending classes to help
students with physical or visual impairments
take notes.
“It was great to know I was helping them,
and enabled me to take classes I never got
to take when I was a student,” she said.
Barbara spent more than three years in
that role, before moving on to bookkeeping
jobs in the private sector. It was then
she realized working in government
would allow her to
continue her advocacy and
work full-time.
Her life-long love of math and
experience with statistics led her to take the
City’s Assistant Retirement Benefits Examiner
exam. She earned the eighth spot on the
list and was hired by the FDNY in 2004.
For the last 12 years she has planned monthly
retirement seminars for fire officers and
firefighters, updated their beneficiary information,
calculated their excess and first
pension checks, among many other tasks.
“The phone never stops ringing, but it
keeps me going,” she said.
She works one-on-one with many members,
often serving as a sympathetic ear for those
who struggle with what to do next. And
whether she is encouraging a retiring member
to volunteer or updating and notarizing
their paperwork, she has one goal in mind –
to be their advocate.
“It can be a hard time for them,” she said.
“I just try to make things a
little easier. They put their
lives on the line for us every 5
day, so they deserve it.”

Career &
Workplace
As we dive into the holiday
season, it might be useful to
brush up on your sales tax
know-how.
New York State and City
charge sales tax on many
services and on retail sales
for most goods. The total
sales and use tax rate in
New York City is 8.875
percent.
This includes:
New York City local sales and use tax rate of 4.5 percent.
New York State sales and use tax rate of 4 percent.
Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District surcharge of
0.375 percent.
There is no sales tax on items of clothing or footwear that cost
less than $110. Clothing or footwear costing $110 or more is
subject to the full 8.875 percent tax rate. And remember, sales
tax is calculated per item, so even if you buy two or more items
that add up to $110 or more, you only pay tax on items that individually
cost $110 or more.
The following purchases are
exempt from sales tax:
Unprepared and packaged
food products, dietary foods,
certain beverages and health
supplements sold by food markets.
Diapers.
Drugs and medicines for
people.
Medical equipment and supplies for home use.
Newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals.
Prosthetic aids and devices, hearing aids and eyeglasses.
Laundry and dry cleaning services.
Shoe repair services.
Some items used to make or repair clothing and footwear.
Veterinary medical services.
Learn more at www.tax.ny.gov/pubs_and_bulls/publications/
sales_pubs.htm
Excused Leave for Breast and Prostate
Cancer Screenings
City of New York employees now
are entitled to excused leave for
breast or prostate cancer screenings.
These provisions permit employees
to take a paid leave of absence for a
sufficient period of time (not to
exceed four hours on an annual
basis) to undertake a prostate or
breast cancer screening.
The entire period of the leave is
excused leave, not to be charged
against any other leave that the
employee is entitled to receive.
Employees must present the
completed excused absence breast
and prostate screening forms available
on the intranet under Admin
Forms, in the Time and Leave section
for the time to be granted.
Update Your Emergency Contact Info
Have you recently gotten married?
Divorced?
Had a child?
Experienced another life change?
If yes, check that your emergency contact information is
up to date.
Visit fdny.org/forms/pdf/hr/form1003.pdf, complete the
form and forward to Annette Richardson at 6N-12,
annette.richardson@fdny.nyc.gov or fax (718) 999-7139.
6

Career &
Workplace
Payroll
The bi-weekly payroll of Dec. 2, 2016,
includes payment of overtime and other
exception events for the period 11/06/16 to
11/19/16, and regular gross pay (for fulltime,
per annum employees) for the period
11/13/16 to 11/26/16.
Submission of Documents to
Payroll and Timekeeping Bureau
Payroll inquiries, such as requests for EMS
meal money, must be submitted on PMS Inquiry
forms (online). Inquiries must be endorsed
by the member and his/her supervisor.
Original forms and documents must be submitted
via U.S. mail or Department bag to
Headquarters, 9 MetroTech Center, 5 th Floor,
Brooklyn, NY 11201. Please allow reasonable
processing time before following up.
Inquiries cannot be resolved over the
phone. Inquiry forms and payroll documents
cannot be faxed.
Overtime and leave problems should be resolved
in CityTime by the unit timekeeper,
station captain and/or division coordinator.
Phone calls will be accepted only from
bureau heads/division coordinators.
Taxable Fringe Benefits for
Motor Vehicle Commutation
Employees commuting to work in a vehicle
supplied by the Department are reminded
that they may be assessed taxable fringe
benefits, unless they are exempt
‘emergency responders,’ as defined by the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Accordingly, most impacted employees
will see an increase of up to $660 in their
year-to-date gross earnings and a corresponding
increase in FICA deductions
(when applicable) on a year-end payroll. A
few high-earning members who are
deemed to be ‘control’ employees by the
IRS may see a greater addition to their
taxable earnings, based on personal usage
and the lease value of their vehicle.
Adjustments for Taxable Motor Vehicle
Commutation for the Period — November
2015 through October 2016 will be processed
beginning with the Dec. 2, 2016
payroll, except for ‘control’ employees,
whose taxable commutation amounts will
be processed on a future payroll.
Direct Deposit
Processing of electronic fund transfer (EFT)
transactions via Employee Self Service temporarily
has been suspended.
Direct deposit transactions, including enrollment,
cancellation and bank account changes,
must be submitted to the Bureau of Payroll,
Timekeeping and Compliance on the
‘Direct Deposit of Net Pay’ form (FDNY
intranet under Forms/Admin Forms/Direct
Deposit of Net Pay). A voided check or, for
savings accounts, a recent statement must be
attached for enrollments or changes. Employees
should include a phone number and
current e-mail address on the form to be
alerted when EFT will take effect.
If an employee’s direct deposit is rejected
by his/her bank, the net pay is added to the
next biweekly paycheck, resulting in a delay
of at least two weeks in receipt of net pay.
Employees must not close their associated
bank account until after they redirect their
EFT or cancel enrollment in the program,
bearing in mind there is a week’s lag before
the change takes effect.
For more information, call (718) 999-2288.
Current Vacancies: Stay Up to Date
The following vacancies are currently posted. For details on these or any other civilian job postings, visit www.fdny.org/hr/job_opps/
Job ID Civil Service Title Office Title Closes
272412 Fire Medical Officer Fire Medical Officer 12/05/2016
271397 City Research Scientist, L-III City Research Scientist — RISK 12/09/2016
272250 Computer Specialist SW-LII Computer Specialist (Software) Until Filled
247300 Associate Inspector (Electrical), L-I Field Inspector Until Filled
Current EMS internal listings include the following. For details on these positions or to post an internal job, visit www.fdny.org/hr/internal_opps/
Civil Service Title Office Title Unit Closes
EMT Full– or Limited-Duty Citywide Resource Manager FDOC 12/02/2016
EMS Lt. SEMSS I/EMS Capt. SEMSS II Investigator Investigations and Trials 12/02/2016
EMS Lieutenant EMS Lieutenant-Analyst Operations Research Unit Until Filled
SEMSS-I (Lieutenant) - Limited Duty On-Duty Supervisor Telemetry Until Filled
7

Wrap-up
Photo of the Week: A New Beginning
Thirty-eight FDNY paramedics graduated from the Academy on Nov. 15 during a ceremony at the
Fire Academy on Randalls Island.
“Having one really good idea can carry
you a long, long way. Or at least
something you believe in and love —
something that you’re ready to dedicate
your time and your effort and energy to.
That’s the difference between a great life
and not much of a life, really.”
~ Bette Midler, who celebrates her birthday on Dec. 1.
Contribute to the
Next Issue
Want to include something in
the Dec. 15 Bulletin?
Email
emily.rahimi@fdny.nyc.gov
no later than Dec. 8 at noon
[strict deadline].