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The head of the city firefighters' union yesterday accused the Fire Department of cooking the books to justify its policy of staffing most engine companies with four firefighters per shift.
Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) president Steve Cassidy said the FDNY's December decision to reduce the number of five firefighter engine companies violates a 1996 labor agreement between the UFA and the city.
That agreement ties the number of five firefighter units required to the incidence of medical leave taken by firefighters. Cassidy says the department artificially inflated the medical leave rate to validate the cutback in five man units.
"They changed the way they calculate firefighter medical leave percentages, deliberately inflating the statistics," Cassidy said.
"They've used those numbers to attack firefighters, to slash manpower, [to] compromise public safety and firefighter safety," he added.
According to the 1996 agreement, the FDNY generally must operate 60 of its 197 engine companies as fiveman units. But the number of five man companies can be reduced to 11 if the annual medical leave rate for firefighters rises above 7.5 percent.
In December, the FDNY took that reduction, stating the sick leave rate, which is calculated monthly, rose to 7.54 percent.
The number of five man companies returned to 60 on Feb. 2, after Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said the sick leave rate had dropped to 7.49 percent.
Engine Co. 158 in Mariners Harbor was one of the 49 companies in the city to have its fifth firefighter restored on Feb. 2, according to FDNY spokesman Michael Loughran.
Engine Co. 165 in New Dorp is a permanent five firefighter unit because it has special responsibilities involving hazardous materials, Loughran said. However, the Island's 14 other engine companies currently operate as fourman units.
Cassidy said the sick leave rates for December and February were artificially high because the FDNY secretly changed its formula for calculating sick leave. "Their conduct is outrageous," said Cassidy, who spoke during a City Hall press conference prior to a City Council hearing on firefighter staffing and safety. "They've done it secretively. We only know because sources inside the department let us know about it."
Cassidy said he couldn't present evidence of statistical manipulation because his union lacks direct access to the data. But two highlevel FDNY officials confirmed for him that the manipulation has taken place, he said.
"It's been verified to me by two highranking sources inside the department," said Cassidy, who declined to identify the sources. "They admitted that they've done it."
Cassidy said a thorough investigation by the city comptroller's office or another independent body is necessary to prove that the sick leave rate has been artificially inflated.
"We absolutely are calling for an outside investigation," Cassidy said.
Scoppetta vigorously denied Cassidy's charges.
"Any suggestion that we're changing the numbers to make it come out a certain way is ludicrous," said Scoppetta, who suggested Cassidy's accusations are meant to boost his political standing among members of his union.
Cassidy, who denied any political motivation, is on the hot seat because his members have been working without a contract for nearly three years. But Scoppetta has been taking some heat of his own about the limited number of fivefirefighter engine companies.
Critics argue that five man units improve public safety because the extra manpower allows them to get water on fires more quickly than fourfirefighter units can manage it.
During his testimony yesterday before the Council's Fire and Criminal Justice Services Committee, Scoppetta said four man engine companies do not detract from public safety and excel at putting out fires.
"Our firefighters continue to perform extremely well in protecting life and property and do so with consummate professionalism," said Scoppetta. He added that the hard work of New York's Bravest led to a modernday record low in the number of firerelated deaths recorded in the city last year.
Scoppetta also said no other American city uses five firefighters per shift and many use only three per shift. But Cassidy countered it is unfair to compare the fireprotection practices of New York, which has a dense population and a thicket of skyscrapers, with those in other cities.
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