CBS 2

UFA President Slams FDNY Commish Over Failure To Act

Would a high-tech firefighting helicopter have saved lives?

"I think it’s very possible that the outcome would have been entirely different," said Stephen Cassidy, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association.

Cassidy charges that FDNY Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta inexplicably turned down a recommendation in March 2005 by then-Chief of Department Peter Hayden and other top chiefs to get the helicopter for the FDNY.

"The fire commissioner of the city of New York did nothing," Cassidy said.

The recommendation was contained in a Power Point presentation given to Scoppetta. Cassidy says the helicopter would have provided water to fight the Deutsche Bank fire after it was discovered the standpipe was broken.

"How else can we fight a fire in a major building in New York City if we don't have water?" Cassidy said. "The Deutsche Bank tragedy highlights that we can't."

The fire department said a helicopter is not a good idea because it only holds 1,000 gallons. In contrast, a fire department hose spews 250 gallons a minute.

Cassidy says the chopper could easily and repeatedly reload in the Hudson and East rivers, but Commissioner Scoppetta remained opposed on Wednesday.

"You can't use the helicopter to actually fight the fire," Scoppetta said. "You've got to do it in other ways. We have a 61-page protocol for fighting high-rise fires. That's what we use and it works very well, and that's what we use."

Cassidy refused to buy that explanation.

"If the leader of the New York City Fire Department didn't have the integrity to get this done, that's a disgrace," Cassidy said.

The chiefs suggested buying he chopper with Homeland Security funds.

Commissioner Scoppetta said a police helicopter was used during the Deutsche Bank fire to provide surveillance.