Zayatz said he felt his biggest contribution to the Fire Department during his tenure was that he wrote its standard operating procedures and that he acquired the Urban Area Security Initiative foam tanker.

Zayatz's salary is $122,812. During his extensive career, he has fought numerous blazes, including the infamous Eighth Street blaze on Labor Day in 1985 that wiped out 20 acres of thriving businesses and multifamily homes.

A year earlier he fought a high-rise fire at the Carlton Towers on Aycrigg Avenue that resulted in the mass evacuation of tenants.

Zayatz said that he would continue to teach at the fire academy.

Keith Furlong, a spokesman for Mayor Sammy Rivera, said the mayor will soon be meeting with the fire director to go over a list of candidates to succeed Zayatz.

Written by The Record