by Joshua Rhett Miller
MURRAY HILL. The FDNY is trying to "cover up" facts in the investigation into the fire at the former Deutsche Bank building that killed two firefighters, two fire unions claimed yesterday.
Uniformed Firefighters Association President Steve Cassidy and Uniformed Fire Officers Association President Jack McDonald said FDNY Chief of Dept. Salvatore Cassano told fire chiefs at a meeting last month to stop sending e-mails about the Aug. 18 fire that killed firefighters Robert Beddia, 53, and Joseph Graffagnino, 33.
"It seems clear to me that there's an ongoing effort to withhold evidence from the public, from firefighters, and to cover up their actions," Cassidy said. "If the top leadership of the fire department says that there is to be no communication about Deutsche Bank in writing, it's clearly their attempt to cover up the things that they have already done. If they had nothing to hide, those words never would've been echoed."
McDonald said Cassano told his staff to "cease all communication via e-mail" regarding the blaze that led to the reassignment of three fire officials and criticism from Mayor Michael Bloomberg regarding the FDNY's failure to properly inspect the condemned and contaminated building at 130 Liberty St.
"This message was also echoed by the Manhattan Borough Commander to all battalion chiefs and deputy chiefs in the borough of Manhattan," according to McDonald, who said Cassano gave the directive during a weekly staff meeting.
Cassidy, who reiterated his call yesterday for Scoppetta to resign, said proof of the order will surface when top fire officials are subpoenaed by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, which is conducting an investigation to determine whether any criminal violations occurred in connection to the fire.
FDNY spokesman Tony Sclafani said the department denied the allegations. Scoppetta and Cassano, meanwhile, separately denounced the claims yesterday at an unrelated event.
Asked if he thought Cassano was lying, Cassidy replied, "We believe he's lying, yes. [The FDNY's] answer is, ‘We refuse to give you any answers, but we're going to deny anything that anybody else says.' The truth will come out, but it will take time for it to come out."
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