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The Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York (UFA) is today calling upon the Mayor and City Council to conduct full and immediate investigations into who authorized thousands of untested and flawed emergency communication devices to be issued to New York's Bravest.
Shortly after the untested Motorola radios were put into service last week a Queens Firefighter found himself in a possible life-threatening situation and put out the rarely used MAYDAY distress call over his radio. Seven Maydays were sent out by the disoriented and collapsing firefighter before the distress call was picked up. The urgent Mayday transmissions were picked up in other boroughs and as close as ten blocks away from the scene, but not on the fire field, raising baffling and highly disturbing questions.
The FDNY's immediate response was to deny that these problems had threatened this firefighters life. The UFA is upset that the department tried to first.- A) belittle the Queens incident, which could have potentially endangered the life of not only this firefighter, but every firefighter at the scene and; B) its attempt to try and deflect criticism.
New York City Firefighters are trained NEVER, EVER to transmit a Mayday call unless they are in immediate and urgent danger and need assistance. It is a last resort only. At it's press conference, UFA leaders stressed that no department official should dare pass an offhanded remark about the situation this firefighter was in at that moment, unless they were present. According to training, if a firefighter feels they are trapped and in a situation of immediate danger, the correct thing to do is to send out a Mayday. The union leadership feels that for the FDNY brass to mock that is a disservice to the department, our firefighters and their training.
According to Kevin Gallagher, UFA President, "The main question should be why didn't the FDNY ever conduct a proper field test or conduct any form of pilot program, as is done with all safety equipment, to see if they would actually work here in the City of New York and for the use demanded by the busiest fire service in the world?"
"We should not have NYC Firefighters out in dangerous, life threatening situations with faulty or untested equipment. Let"s put blame where it belongs, starting with an outside investigation into who in the fire department ordered or authorized the purchase of these radios and who made the decision to put them into the field without a proper evaluation of this essential life saving equipment."
This is all about safety and for the department to stand up and be accountable for its own lack of judgment. In our dangerous profession we don't have room for error when anyone's life is on the line.
Back To Top Fraternally, WILLIAM F. MIRRO
Recording Secretary, KEVIN E. GALLAGHER
President
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