Well Timed Additions 

"The increase in staffing will allow for fire companies in all five boroughs to operate with the help of an additional firefighter during the busiest time of the Fire Department's year," Mr. Scoppetta said in a statement. 

UFA President Stephen J. Cassidy responded, "It's great for public safety and the safety of Firefighters. I hope it's a permanent restoration." 

But in a sign of the lingering animosity between the UFA leader and Commissioner Scoppetta, he then called "ironic" the department's decision to solicit information from manufacturers about potential alternatives to the bunker gear currently being used by the uniformed force.

For the past decade, the department has been using fireretardant outfits supplied by a manufacturer named Total Fire that have been effective in reducing serious burns, particularly in the leg areas not covered by the turnout coats traditionally worn by firefighters. Mr. Cassidy said his members are quite happy with the current gear and questioned why the FDNY would be looking to make a change to outfits that might not offer the same protection from injury.

‘Creating Own Problem’

"They make decisions where they get Firefighters hurt and then they use the numbers as an ecuse to slash manning," he asserted. "If they buy inferior gear and guys get hurt, it impacts manning and compromises safety in ways that it shouldn't."

FDNY Deputy Commissioner for Public Information Frank Gribbon said it was "simply not true" that the department was considering cheaper gear that offered less protection. Besides concerns about making the bidding process for the bunker gear more competitive, he said agency safety officials saw some problems with the current equipment. 

"We're still seeing lowerleg burns where steam and water [at a fire] is coming up from under the bunker gear," he said. One possibility the department would like to eplore is having new bunker gear with a protective seal between the pants and firefighters' boots.

‘We'll Pay for Quality’

"If we find something that's more epensive but offers better protection, we'll get it," Mr. Gribbon said.

The fire unions must be consulted about any changes in equipment, and Mr. Cassidy said that if UFA officials believe replacement bunker gear is not as good as the current material, "We're going to fight them tooth and nail."

Department officials including Mr. Scoppetta have insisted that they have not sought to reduce staffing in cases where they believed sick leave moved above the benchmark as the result of legitimate injuries. When he reduced staffing two months ago, Mr. Scoppetta made clear he believed sick leave had climbed because some Firefighters were abusing their unlimited sickleave right as a way of venting frustration over stalled contract negotiations.

Sick leave continued to rise for much of December in the immediate aftermath of the staffing reduction before beginning to drop Christmas week. One department official theorized at the time that some of those who had been abusing sick leave ceased doing so to spare colleagues from having to be retained to work overtime shifts rather than being home with their families.

The use of sick leave continued to decline during January, despite a rash of serious fires, including blazes in The Bron and Brooklyn that killed three firefighters and left four others seriously injured. As of Jan. 31, sick leave for the past 365 days was just below 7.5 percent, triggering the increase in staffing at the 49 engine companies. That left 60 of the FDNY's 193 engine companies with crews of five Firefighters plus an officer. The sick leave of fire officers is not counted in determining staffing. 

Sick leave is reviewed on a monthly basis, meaning that the 49 companies could again lose a Firefighter from each crew if sick leave rose this month and FDNY officials concluded the jump was not the result of legitimate injuries and illnesses.