BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The City of Buffalo has announced the hire of a new Emergency Services Manager and Fleet Manager.
The city said Thomas Luby was named Emergency Services Manager and James J. Cross was named Fleet Manager after a nationwide search was conducted for each position.
“I am pleased to bring these highly qualified individuals to City government as we prepare for our next Buffalo winter. Their expertise in their respective fields will be a major asset to our team. I am confident that the city, in conjunction with our partners in county and state government, will be as ready as possible for anything mother nature throws our way.”
The positions were approved by the Buffalo Common Council earlier this year in response to the blizzard and other events.
The approval came after Fillmore District Councilmember Mitch Nowakowski called for an inquiry into the city's emergency response to the Blizzard of '22 and called on the administration to hire an emergency manager. Nowakowski pointed out that Hamburg and Amherst both have full-time Emergency Manager positions, but the City of Buffalo did not.
READ MORE: Buffalo Common Council member calls for inquiry on city's emergency response during blizzard
It also came after Mayor Brown announced the new position of fleet director to "spearhead Buffalo’s preparation for regular city maintenance as well as emergency situations."
READ MORE: Mayor Brown announces new citywide position of Fleet Director
According to the city, Luby has over 30 years of public safety experience with the New York City Fire Department, serving as captain through the terror attack on September 11, 2001. He also has emergency management experience with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The city said he has a Master of Arts (MA) in Emergency and Disaster Management with Concentration in Crisis Management and Continuity of Operations from American Public University and he is also a Department of Homeland Security FEMA Certified Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP).
"He will serve as the City’s liaison on emergency preparedness issues, coordinating training programs and emergency operations drills and assisting departments with their emergency and mitigation plans," a release says.
“I am grateful to Mayor Brown for choosing me to serve as the City of Buffalo’s Emergency Services Manager. This is an exciting opportunity for me and my family and I believe my experience and training will enable me to hit the ground running.”
According to the city, Cross has more than a decade of experience in vehicular fleet management and most recently worked as the Assistant Fleet Operations Manager for AAA of Western and Central New York. The city said he has a Bachelor’s of Arts from the University at Buffalo and is a lifelong resident of East Buffalo.
"Cross will be tasked with overseeing the fleet of city-owned equipment and vehicles and is the primary contact concerning vehicle fleet maintenance and operations," a release says.
“I am excited to join the Brown Administration to manage the City’s fleet of vehicles. My first order of business will be to fully inventory and assess the City’s current vehicle fleet to help plan for the future needs of the fleet moving forward.”
On Monday the city also released its 2023-2024 Winter Snow Plan, you can find more on the plan here.
