Pete mourns the deaths of his fallen brothers.
If you saw people coming out of 130 Liberty Street dressed like this:
Would you go into it dressed like this?
The Deutsche Bank Building at 130 liberty Street became toxic on 9/11/2001. The tragic fire occurred on August 18, 2007 - almost six (6) years later.
Why didn't the FDNY Commissioner figure out a plan to inspect the toxic ground zero buildings(click here) and, according to the plan, give the Ten House the resources needed to safely enter, inspect and exit the toxic Deutsche Bank BuildingDidn't the FDNY Commissioner have enough time to figure this out?
- in the third quarter of the year 2001?
- in the year 2002?
- in the year 2003?
- in the year 2004?
- in the year 2005?
- in the year 2006?
- and in the first three quarters of the year 2007?
Everyone is waiting for the FDNY Commissioner's explanation.
Why wasn't six (6) years enough time for the FDNY Commissioner to prepare a plan to inspect the toxic ground zero buildings(click here), and according to the plan, equip the Ten House with the means needed to safely enter, inspect and exit the toxic Deutsche Bank Building?
Captain Peter Bosco only arrived at the Ten House at the tail end of this six (6) year period approximately during the first three quarters of 2007. When he arrived, the FDNY's official policy of not inspecting the toxic building was already firmly established and solidly in place (Click Here). 6 years breaks down to 24 quarters. Captain Bosco was at the Ten House for not quite 3 quarters. Scoppetta was in charge of the FDNY for almost the entire 24 quarters.
After the ground zero buildings became toxic on 9/11/2001, FDNY faced a crossroads from which forked two paths. A decision needed to be made; one of the paths needed to be followed; the other spurned. In order to protect the safety and health of its employees and to comply with New York State Labor Laws, FDNY had to decide whether toThere was no third alternative. These two alternatives were it. If FDNY did not create a toxic building inspection plan (click here) and, according to the plan, allocate the FDNY resources that the TEN HOUSE needed to safely enter, inspect and exit the toxic ground zero buildings, the TEN HOUSE had no choice but to stay out of them.
- Keep the TEN HOUSE out of the toxic ground zero buildings or
- Provide the TEN HOUSE with the means necessary to safely enter, inspect and exit the toxic ground zero buildings.
The TEN HOUSE itself did not have the ability to create a toxic building inspection plan or to deploy FDNY resources from outside the TEN HOUSE to implement it (click here). On the other hand, Scoppetta did. He had at his disposal both the expertise and the power to create a toxic building inspection plan (click here) for the TEN HOUSE and to provide the TEN HOUSE with the resources to implement it.
If FDNY's goal was to inspect a toxic building, why didn't the FDNY Commissioner give the Ten House the means to accomplish the goal (Click Here)? An employer who gives an employee a goal must also give an employee the means to accomplish the goal (Click Here). A goal without means is an illusion - a fictional goal (Click Here) - an impossible dream (Click Here). The means needed to inspect a toxic building would have included:FDNY did not provide the Ten House with any of the foregoing means to accomplish the goal of inspecting a toxic building (Click Here). In fact, FDNY banned the Ten House from wearing their bunker gear - not that bunker gear is proper P.P.E. but at least it is something - into the toxic building (Click Here)!
- a procedure showing them how to safely inspect a toxic building,
- training on how to safely inspect a toxic building,
- drills taking them through the process of inspecting a toxic building,
- dermal and respiratory protection, and
- post-inspection decontamination. (For the details of the resources needed, see the Health and Safety Plan for the Search for Potential Human Remains at the World Trade Center Site by clicking here)
Moreover, it is not like FDNY did not understand the means that were necessary to accomplish the goal of inspecting a toxic building. FDNY had actual knowledge of the means needed to accomplish the goal of inspecting a toxic building and had this actual knowledge many months before the tragic August 18, 2007 fire. FDNY knew how to do it! Mayor Bloomberg assigned the goal of inspecting the toxic Deutsche Bank building for potential human remains to a group of NYC agencies that included FDNY. FDNY via its Manhattan Borough Command provided a special FDNY unit - not the Ten House - with the means to accomplish such inspections (Click Here). Although FDNY provided the means to inspect the toxic Deutsche Bank Building to a special FDNY unit, FDNY never - we repeat, never - provided the Ten House with the means to do inspections of toxic buildings (Click Here).
It was only after the tragic August 18, 2007, that FDNY, again via its Manhattan Borough Command, initiated a process of consultation with the New York State Department of Labor to try to figure out the proper way for the Ten House to inspect toxic buildings (Click Here)!
Inspections of the toxic Deutsche Bank Building were the responsibility of someone other than the Ten House! This building was under the jurisdiction of someone other than FDNY (Click Here).
It is time for the FDNY Commissioner to give the speech (Click Here).
- Listen to former FDNY Commissioner, Thomas Von Essen - Scopetta's predecessor - defend Captain Peter Bosco by Clicking Here
- Read about the Chernobyl Firefighters by Clicking Here
- Read Alfred Lloyd Tennyson's Charge of the Fire Brigade (Click Here)
- Read about the misadventures of Batberg and his faithful sidekick, Boy Blunder (Click here)
- Read Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass (Click Here)
With apologies to Alfred Lord Tennyson,
The Charge of the Fire Brigade
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the skyscraper of death,
Inspect while we blunder.
Inspect fire brigade!
"Charge through the toxins", Bloomberg and Scoppetta said
Into the skyscraper of Death
inspect while we blunder.
Toxins to right of them,
Toxins to left of them,
Toxins in front of them
floated and flutterd.
Storm'd at with poison and smell,
Boldly you'll inspect so well
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Inspect while we blunder
But no haz-mat suits for you
no guidance from FDNY too
How you do it is up to you
risk your lungs and your health
Meet my quota of 2 a month, Bloomberg and Scoppetta said
We'll decontaminate you after your dead
Inspect while we blunder
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the firefighters knew
Someone had blunder'd?
Bloomberg and Scoppetta scoff:
"Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to inspect and die."
Into the skyscraper of Death
Inspect while we blunder.
[Note: The NY Post appreciates a meaningful rhyme (Click Here)]. To learn a little background about Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem, the Charge of the Light Brigade, and the disastrous decisions of the Light Brigade's top commanders, visit Wikipedia by clicking here For the actual poem, click here.
Feel Free to republish this Poem or suggest improvements.
* * * * * * * * * *
If you knew about the deadly and debilitating consequences to the vast numbers of FDNY rescue workers brought on by 9/11/2001 toxins (Click Here), would you take your men into a building contaminated by them without the proper gear, training, drills, site-specific safety plan and decontamination equipment? (Click Here)
THE CHARGE OF THE FIRE BRIGADE, printed above, puts into words what Bloomberg's and Scoppetta's opinion would be if they indeed sincerely think that the local firehouse ought to have inspected the highly toxic Deutsche Bank Building without site specific training, Haz Mat Suits, decontamination equipment, etc. Because such an opinion is so patently absurd, reasonable people have concluded that Captain Peter Bosco, his Battalion Chief and Division Chief are being framed on trumped up charges. What is more disturbing, however, is the possibility that Bloomberg and Scoppetta knew that inspections were outside the jurisdiction of the local firehouse; yet, to preserve Bloomberg's image and protect his tea and crumpet cronies, Bloomberg directed his spineless lackey, FDNY Commissioner Scoppetta, to scapegoat three decent, decorated and innocent fire officers and throw them to the wolves (Click Here). How despicable! What kind of villains would sacrifice innocence for image. Image is a false god that too many small minded politicians worship. More ignobly, how can Scoppetta betray his own men? You cannot get much lower than that! That Bloomberg was so swift in blaming Captain Bosco, his battalion chief and his division chief - which blame turned their lives upside down - and is so slow in exonerating them despite irrefutable evidence of their innocence, makes it crystal clear that Bloomberg has little regard for anybody outside his chummy circle of tea and crumpet cronies. Bloomberg has treated these three decorated fire officers and decent human beings like worthless pieces of garbage (Click Here). Firefighters from prob'y to Chief of Department ought to be outraged! A billionaire many times over, Bloomberg simply does not give a damn about "the little guy" who depends on a paycheck to support a family. It took a mere 9 days for Bloomberg to blame them. It is many times 9 days and the evidence of their innocence has mounted. Yet, Bloomberg has not uttered a word to undo the damage he has done. Bloomberg's and Scoppetta's position that FDNY expected, desired or wanted the local firehouse to inspect the "jaws of death and the mouth of hell" is not supported by any of the facts. All of the facts prove conclusively that FDNY Headquarters had absolutely no expectation whatsoever that the local firehouse would conduct inspections of the highly toxic building (Click Here) Instead of trying to frame the three decorated fire officers, Scoppetta ought to have defended them and his department by giving the speech outlined in our blog(Click Here)