|
After two New York City firefighters died at the former Deutsche Bank tower, news of three internal memos with urgent warnings about the building began to surface. The memos argued for a specific firefighting plan for this building damaged on Sept. 11, 2001. Instead of heeding that advice, however, department officials decided to use the standard protocol for fighting fires in city skyscrapers. It was just one of many errors that may have cost firefighters Joseph Graffagnino and Robert Beddia their lives.
Investigations of the fire on Aug. 18 have already begun by city, state and federal officials and they should move deliberately, since this blighted structure needs to come down quickly, but as safely as possible. Still, the evidence of sloppiness and negligence by state-hired contractors and city officials offers guidance about how to continue deconstruction of the remaining floors of this shrouded building.
First, since the shadowy contractor has been fired, a new contractor needs to control its workers in order to demand safety procedures for themselves, the neighborhood and any first responders. A worker's lighted cigarette left in a dangerous no-smoking area may have ignited this deadly blaze. Other workers' mistakes resulted in large pieces of equipment falling to the ground, in one case injuring two firefighters.
Second, the city's building inspectors and Fire Department must create a workable plan to make the demolition possible at this particularly toxic site. So far, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has disciplined three top Fire Department officials for failing to have a specific plan to fight a fire at the site and failing to inspect it properly. Inspectors from the Fire Department and the city failed to make certain that the standpipe needed to fight a high-rise fire was working. Because it was broken and dry, its contents flooding into the basement, firefighters had no water that day to fight back against the flames.
Finally, the building is considered an environmental hazard, which requires extraordinary measures to keep air inside, such as thick plastic sheeting on each floor. They must be adjusted to accommodate emergencies.
It's heartbreakingly obvious that the demolition of this building should have been done more carefully and that inspections should have been done on time. It should be just as obvious that city and state leaders must find workable and long-term solutions.
 |
