(Eyewitness News' Dave Evans
New York-WABC, May 27, 2005) — It's a nasty and very public feud within the New York Fire Department. Tonight the firefighters union is lashing out at commissioner Nick Scoppetta and denying allegations that union firefighters are deliberately slowing when they go to fires.
The commissioner says response times are down as union protest against cutbacks.
Political reporter Dave Evans has the story.
Today one official in the Bloomberg administration said something's going on in the fire department when one engine in Brookyln's response time all of a sudden goes up by more than a minute.
Union leaders say it's no secret as to why - they blame cutbacks and what they call incompetent and feeble leadership.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg: "Playing with people lives for your own purposes is just an outrage."
On his weekly radio show this morning the mayor blamed union leaders for dramatically increasing fire deparment response times. Union leaders fired back saying it's the mayor and his commissioner who should take the blame.
Pete Gorman, United Fire Officers Assoc.: "He said there's an alarming increase in response times that's endangering public safety. I agree with him. But he's saying it's my fault. I didn't close six engine companies, he did."
This latest clash comes in the aftermath of a fatal accident last July in the Bronx when an engine ran a red light and slammed into an SUV, killing the driver.
Despite that fatality Fire Commissioner Nick Scoppetta instructed drivers to slow down and be careful at red lights. Yet union leaders say don't just slow down - but at times - stop.
Late today Scoppetta's office claimed: "Pete Gorman has repeatedly instructed the members of his union to ignore directives issued by the fire department."
The administration claims that's why response times are up.
Steve Cassidy, Uniformed Firefighters Assoc.: "I think the Fire Commissioner was under tremendous pressure from the Bloomberg Administration about increased response time. He needs somebody to blame, he can't say 'it's my fault, these are my policies.'"
Whether it's because of closed fire stations, increased calls, or more cautious drivers - response times are up significantly.
In 2002 for structural fires it took four minutes and 13 seconds to respond. Today that time is up a critical 22 seconds to four minutes and 35 seconds.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg: "This is a very few people with an agenda trying to slow down and hurt this city. A quarter of all the engines have had better response times. So when they say closing fire houses two years ago had something to do with reponse times that's ridiculous."
Fire department officials say they've analyzed the impact of those six engine companies closing and claim it's only pushed up the citywide average - 32/100th's of a second.
Gorman responded, "Well that's wonderful Nick, I'd love to know what computer software got him that number."
This is a bitter fight and it's not getting better anytime soon.
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