Craig Murphy, former Acting Fire Commissioner for the Philadelphia Fire Department, has been appointed Manager for Safety and Emergency Preparedness for FIFA World Cup 2026, bringing decades of frontline public safety leadership and national-level disaster response experience to one of the largest event security environments in the world.
Murphy arrives with an extensive public safety background built over more than four decades with the Philadelphia Fire Department, where he rose through senior leadership roles that included Deputy Fire Commissioner (All Hazards), Chief of Department Operations, 1st Deputy Fire Commissioner, and Acting Fire Commissioner. His career included responsibility for large-scale operational readiness and multi-hazard response, key skillsets for managing the safety demands of a major international event.
A significant portion of Murphy’s experience has centered on complex response operations. He previously served as Special Operations Deputy Chief, overseeing the department’s Special Operations Command Division, including technical rescue and marine operations, and bringing specialized expertise that aligns with high-risk event preparedness.
Murphy also has deep national disaster response experience through FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) system. He served as a Task Force Representative for Pennsylvania Task Force 1 (PA-TF1), overseeing readiness and acting as the sponsoring agency’s representative on task force matters. He also served as a USAR specialist supporting FEMA incident operations.
More recently, Murphy worked with FEMA as a federal employee, adding additional experience in emergency management and coordination at the federal level.
Beyond his operational roles, Murphy supported long-term regional preparedness through the South East Pennsylvania Regional Task Force, where he served in leadership positions including Vice Chair of the Emergency Response Workgroup, helping coordinate capabilities across fire, hazmat, urban search and rescue, and EMS partners in the region.
(AI was used in part to facilitate this article.)