Firefighters say Scoppetta lacks skills needed to lead as it prepares to sue over tough drug policy
By WILLIAM MURPHY
STAFF WRITER
The head of the city firefighters union said yesterday that Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta "isn't qualified to head the department."
In the latest sign of the bad blood between the union and management, the union said it plans to sue over a new get-tough drug policy and is urging a rule-book action that could slow response time to fires and other emergencies.
"Firefighters just don't believe he has the leadership skills to lead the department in the right direction," Stephen Cassidy, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, said yesterday. "Commissioner Scoppetta isn't qualified to head the department."
Many firefighters are angry at the city's contract offer of 4 percent over three years, but Cassidy said the real problem is the retirement of so many senior firefighters after Sept. 11, 2001.
The Bloomberg administration opposed state legislation that would have allowed senior firefighters who racked up overtime after Sept. 11 to lock in pensions based on those earnings.
"They wanted a younger, cheaper Fire Department, and a lot of our problems flow from that, including [vehicular] accidents," he said.
Fire Department spokesman Frank Gribbon said the suggestion that Scoppetta was not qualified was "ridiculous. Just ridiculous."
Cassidy said a lawsuit against the drug policy was being prepared and it would contest the department's methods and standards for testing, although not the right to test.
The drug policy has been in effect for three months. Its impact became clear when a firefighter with 19 years' service tested positive for cocaine, was fired and lost his pension.
The union leader said Scoppetta, a former prosecutor, "doesn't have a compassionate bone in his body," and singles out firefighters for public humiliation by putting their names on department disciplinary orders.
However, previous fire commissioners have done the same thing and have been criticized by previous union leaders.
The issue of discipline is touchy because the commissioner has a lot of discretion and can be swayed by union leaders and others.
Thomas Von Essen, the previous commissioner, often joked about favors he was called on to handle, some of them involving discipline.
Accidents involving fire trucks have been a growing concern among fire chiefs around the country. The National Fire Protection Association says 33 firefighters died in on-duty crashes in 2003 - the most since such deaths were first tracked in 1977 - while 29 firefighters died battling fires.
Scoppetta recently suspended a Bronx firefighter after the truck he was driving slammed into a van, killing a passenger.
The union reacted by telling its members to obey all department rules, including one requiring them to stop at red lights.
A video made by a person on the Bronx street showed the fire engine ran a red light, Gribbon said, adding it was the first time in three years that Scoppetta acted against a firefighter although there were almost 1,500 accidents in that period.
Emergency vehicles are not required to follow all traffic rules, but the drivers are expected to exercise caution when going through a red light or passing a stop sign, Gribbon said.
He added that departmental rules against running red lights were being changed to conform with state law.
Flash points
So far, firefighters had enjoyed a relatively good relationship with Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta, but now these are among several simmering issues threatening to boil over:
Substance abuse Since the FD instituted random drug and alcohol testing this August, one veteran firefighter has been terminated and three others face dismissal. Some firefighters say they have been singled out by police for drinking and driving.
Ambulance merger
The merger of the EMS into the department has angered firefighters who oppose the use of firefighters for some medical emergencies, and tensions rose when the FD opened a joint fire-ambulance facility in the Rockaways earlier this month.
Firehouse conditions Many firehouses, some built more than a century ago, have leaking roofs or other structural problems, and firefighters have complained about rodents, poor ventilation of engine exhaust and plumbing and heating problems.
The Contract
The biggest overall complaint from firefighters is that they are working under an expired contract and have been offered a deal by the city they claim would give them a 4 percent pay raise over three years
Union elections
Union President Stephen Cassidy and his entire executive board are up for re-election in the spring - and the membership has a long history of ousting incumbents. Copyright © 2003, Newsday, Inc.
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