Radio Snafus, Wrong Info Cited in 'Deutsche' Deaths; FDNY Report Hit by UFA
By ARI PAUL
A failure to follow radio protocol and misinformation phoned into emergency dispatchers were among the contributing factors in the deaths of Firefighters Joseph Graffagnino and Robert Beddia at last year's Deutsche Bank building fire, according to a Fire Department report issued Aug. 21.

NICHOLAS SCOPPETTA: Mishaps hindered response.

Uniformed Firefighters Association President Steve Cassidy denounced the report as a "whitewash," adding that the report did not explain why the department did not conduct inspections of the building for a year prior to the fire and why the Incident Commander did not inform firefighters that the building, which was undergoing demolition and abatement, was also contaminated.

Erroneous Info, Delayed Call

Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta told reporters at the department's downtown Brooklyn headquarters that the three sources who called in the fire Aug. 18, 2007 erroneously said that the standpipe was functioning. A construction worker at the site also waited 13 minutes to make the initial call.

"The firefighters did a remarkable job under the most difficult circumstances," he said. The Commissioner added that the fire also grew because firefighters did not have access to water because of the broken standpipe.

STEVE CASSIDY: 'Whitewash' leaves questions.

"They stretched hose line all the way to the 14th floor," Mr. Scoppetta said. "That's how we got water on the fire."

The Deutsche Bank building, located across the street from the World Trade Center site, was badly damaged during 9/11, and had been undergoing a year-long process of simultaneous abatement and demolition until the fire, despite protests from labor and environmental groups alleging that one of the main subcontractors, the John Galt Corporation, was not qualified to do work on the building, which contained asbestos, benzene and particles of human remains.

Didn't Hear Distress Calls

The FDNY report also noted that firefighters on the scene made 14 Mayday calls and 19 "urgent" calls — which are of a higher priority than Maydays — that were not initially received by commanding officers outside the building. But the Commissioner said that there was no proof that Firefighters Beddia or Graffagnino, who died of smoke inhalation, made any of these calls.

Mr. Cassidy took issue with the report's claim that Firefighter Beddia removed his face mask with five minutes worth of oxygen in his cylinder, as well as Mr. Scoppetta's speculation that the Firefighter did so in order to conserve his supply.

"If he were operating in a regular fire situation, firefighters often do not put on their face piece to conserve air," Mr. Cassidy said, claiming that the Incident Commander did not tell responders the building was contaminated. "This is another attempt by the New York City Fire Department to shift the blame from themselves."

Mr. Scoppetta insisted that there was no equipment failure with radio communication, but that there was a lack of "radio discipline," with firefighters broadcasting on the same frequencies and interrupting messages.

'Stepping on Transmissions'

"We call it stepping on other people's transmissions," he said, vowing that the department will add training sessions for radio communications.

But Mr. Cassidy dismissed this finding, saying, "If you put 100 firefighters in a building with no way out, they're running out of air, who are you to criticize them for making radio transmissions asking for help?"

The FDNY was mandated to inspect the Deutsche Bank building every 15 days, but it had not done any inspections in the year leading up to the fire. Mr. Scoppetta said that this issue will be the subject of another investigation.

"We'll get to that," he said. Mr. Scoppetta added that the report would be sent to the Manhattan District Attorney, and that he has already testified before a grand jury and waived immunity. The State Attorney General is also investigating the fire.

Fire officials had briefed both Mr. Cassidy and Uniformed Fire Officers Association President John J. McDonnell on the report a day prior to its release, but did not give them actual copies until after the FDNY released it to the media.