FDNY

Although nearly two decades have passed and the Ground Zero site has been transformed, names are still being added to the FDNY World Trade Center Memorial Wall at the department’s headquarters in Brooklyn. In September, this posthumous recognition was bestowed on 22 firefighters who died of illnesses related to 9/11 exposure. First responders who worked […]

New York City’s Emergency Medical Services units handled approximately 1.5 million calls in 2018. That was a new record high, but the professionals who work for that department are still paid significantly less than other first responders. For more than 20 years, EMS has operated within the FDNY, and its significantly smaller workforce responds to […]

When selecting personal protective equipment (PPE) for firefighters, a department or municipality needs to do more than find gear that satisfies the National Fire Protection Association’s safety standards. A complete risk assessment should be conducted to assure that the equipment isn’t just sufficiently safe but also appropriate for the specific situations faced by the men […]

As a firefighter, you earn the respect of the community you serve every day. People understand how dangerous and stressful it is to deal with raging fires, medical emergencies and other situations that are fraught with serious risks. However, only you and those closest to you can fully appreciate the range of stressors you face […]

Many engine companies within the FDNY will be operating with fewer firefighters now that New York City has invoked a contract clause reducing crews from five to four people. Though the trucks can be manned by four firefighters, the affected engine companies used the fifth as a “wild card” to increase safety for both colleagues […]

The popular pastime known as the escape room has triggered serious safety concerns, leading the FDNY to shut down several outlets throughout the city. These attractions give visitors the sensation of being trapped in a locked space from which they must escape using their own wits. However, inspectors have found that the danger in some […]

What You Need to Know About Your Right to Pension Reclassification To all retired firefighters and fire officers: After months of lobbying, the NYC Fire Pension Fund has implemented an important change that will help dozens of retired FDNY members who were awarded WTC-disability pensions for PTSD. Any member who was granted a WTC-disability pension […]

As this blog has explained many times before, there are special laws in New York to protect cops and firefighters injured in the line of duty. Principally, that protection comes from General Municipal Law 205-a for firefighters and GML 205-e for cops. The two statutes are almost identical. With some refinements, they provide cops and […]

Today, August 18, 2017, marks the 10th Anniversary of the Deutsche Bank fire that tragically took the lives of our client, firefighter Bobby Beddia and also firefighter Joseph Graffagnino. We take this time to remember both heroes, along with the hundred other members of the FDNY who were injured in this blaze that started when […]

In a cool demonstration of grace surrounded by fire, Christopher Reilly, a 13-year veteran of FDNY, defied flames climbing the wall of a burning Bronx apartment to find and rescue its trapped occupant, an elderly paraplegic whose two legs had been partially amputated. The man was taken to Jacobi Medical Center where he was reported […]