An FDNY Fire Marshal in charge of investigating lithium-ion battery fires across the city has died of a heart attack.
Supervising Fire Marshal George Snyder, 53, went into cardiac arrest as he left work on Friday and died at a local hospital on Saturday, department officials said.
His passing is considered a line-of-duty death since it happened within 24 hours of his last duty shift, a department spokeswoman said.
Snyder joined the FDNY in 2002 and was first assigned to Engine 36 in Harlem. He became a fire marshal in 2009 and was put in charge of the FDNY’s Lithium-Ion Battery Task Force, where he investigated deadly e-bike battery fires.
He partnered with city and state agencies to enforce rules about selling off-market batteries and batteries that have not been certified by Underwriters Laboratories or other testing labs.
Newly appointed Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker’s first official role in office was to announce Snyder’s passing Monday.
“This is the tragic loss of a man who chose a life of brave service to others, first working as a firefighter and promoted to fire marshal, then eventually to supervising fire marshal,” Tucker said in a statement. “Our entire department mourns the passing of this heroic individual who dedicated himself to our city.”
Mayor Adams echoed Tucker’s sentiment.
“It takes courage to put on that uniform but George also found meaning and purpose in serving others,” Adams said. “There is no higher calling than that.”
Snyder was cited five times for meritorious acts throughout his 22-year career with the department. He is the 1,161th member of the FDNY to die in the line of duty and the first to die this year. The last FDNY member to die in the line of duty was EMT Frederick Whiteside, who also died of a heart attack, at a Bronx dispatch center on Nov. 17, 2023.
Snyder is survived by his mother, three sisters, and a nephew. His funeral is set for Monday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
