SI Advance

He wants to find out who told press Island firefighter had oxygen left when he died in bank tower

At a short press conference in Manhattan, Uniformed Firefighters' Association president Steve Cassidy ratcheted up criticism of FDNY brass, calling them "hypocrites," and accusing Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta of mishandling the investigation into the Aug. 18 fire.

Cassidy cited a report that surfaced this weekend about the final moments of South Beach resident Robert Beddia.

An anonymous senior fire official told the Daily News that a test established that Beddia's oxygen tank had 5 minutes of air remaining.

Investigators originally thought both Beddia and his fellow firefighter, Joe Graffagnino of Brooklyn, died after their air tanks ran out.

But now, some believe Beddia may have turned his tank to manual to conserve air while searching for his partner, according to the report.

Cassidy implied the report may have been planted to take the heat off city agencies and FDNY brass for the transformation of the vacant skyscraper into a deathtrap. "Two years ago, nobody can pretend that they didn't know what the Deutsche Bank was, or why it was toxic or why it was being torn down. This is one of the most publicized buildings in the City of New York in the wake of 9/11," he continued.

"So what did they do? Why didn't they do the things they were required to do? And he (Scoppetta) hasn't asked any of his top people those questions."

Cassidy also questioned the Fire Department's ability to conduct an objective probe of a fire that killed two of its members, alleging investigators have not probed circumstances leading up to the fire, instead focusing only on fire operations the day of the fire. FDNY spokesman Tony Sclafani called those claims "nonsense" but declined to discussed details of the ongoing probe.

"The Fire Department is investigating all aspects of the fire," Sclafani said. Beddia's half-brother, Ed Carman, declined comment on the latest revelation, saying he looked forward to reading the complete report once the investigation has been completed.

Staten Island attorney Vincent Gallo, a lawyer representing Beddia's family and a close friend of the fallen firefighter, said the results of the oxygen tank tests provide more evidence that "it wasn't the lack of oxygen, but the toxicity of the air in the building that killed him."

"He died as a consequence of not having a choice," Gallo contended.

"They just figured, send up as many firefighters as we can -- so what if we lose a few."