WHILE THREE FDNY FIRE OFFICERS ARE STILL being disciplined for violating rules that don’t exist, the department administration continues to paper over their culpability in allowing the conditions to exist in the D-B building that led to the deaths of two FF’s in August.
A department memo written less than a month ago further illustrates that the FDNY knowingly has no authority to conduct fire safety inspections in the Deutsche Bank building, or any other state-owned facilities.
This memo written by the Manhattan Borough Commander, Michael Weinlein, states that he is working with the state Dept. of Labor to create a new procedure that will allow FD personnel to conduct on-site fire inspections at 130 Liberty St., the D-B building.
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Once again the question is being raised: Why are three field officers (E-10 Capt., Batt. Chief and District Chief) being publicly flogged for violating rules that never existed?
Firegeezer published on Oct. 27 (HERE) the page from the FDNY Fire Prevention manual that clearly states that the dept. has no jurisdiction in state-owned buildings. In the same posting we published a memo from the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. that identifies the D-B bldg. as being owned by a state agency.
So why are these three men being disciplined for not performing actions that are clearly not permitted by the dept.’s own regulations and the law?
Another question to ask is why the Borough Commander is working on this project instead of delegating it to the appropriate Division Chief? That’s a very high level position to be sitting in on procedural meetings. Unless they are trying to keep the lid on something.
The stink keeps seeping out.
