...and and charges the Fire Commissioner and Chief with "shoddy performance."
STEPHEN J. CASSIDY
President of UFA said:
-"Chief Siegel's recommendations were totally ignored by the FDNY
"leadership" at 9 Metro Tech. Yet, no one had the
foresight to develop an alternate plan to protect our
firefighters should a serious fire take place in the
building."
-"public of a recommendation by former Chief of Department Peter Hayden made in March 2005
that the Department acquire a helicopter to help fight
hi-rise fires"
-"in an obvious attempt to gloss over their
failures, the Department leadership has decided to add a
third day of building inspections to an already
overburdened firefighter's workload. This fiasco is called
"Building Inspection Safety Program (BISP)".
-"It is clear that a separately trained and staffed Task Force is
necessary to effectively address the need for proper fire
inspections. Not only is this so-called "new" program an
inadequate response to the need for better and thorough
building inspections, it will also most certainly increase
response times to fires and other emergencies. "
The Deutsche Bank Fire: Failure of FDNY
Leadership - The UFA's Effort to Keep
the Public and Our Membership Informed
Nov 20, 2007 Ltr to Members and the Public:
http://www.ufalocal94.org/pdf/db11_20.pdf
Showing posts with label Site Safety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Site Safety. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Progress Report (Wiltermuth)
A new fire code law has been proposed at the request of Mayor Bloomberg. It would be the first revision to the Code in almost a century and, if passed, will go into effect on July 1, 2008. The FDNY official press release is as follows:
A local law to enact a new Fire Code for New York City was introduced in the City Council on March 12, 2008, by Fire and Criminal Justice Services Committee Chair Miguel Martinez, at the request of the Mayor. The proposed local law, Intro 732, would complete the first comprehensive revision of the City’s Fire Code in almost a century, and conclude a four-year Fire Code revision project. The new Fire Code would take effect on July 1, 2008, to coincide with the effective date of the new Building Code and related construction codes. For additional information about the proposed Fire Code, see the Fire Department's December 5, 2007 press release.
I stopped by Battalion 10 on the Upper East Side for general comment. The firefighters there had no comment, as they hadn't heard anything about a new fire code law. Also, authorization to talk with me on the record needed to come from "downtown." One firefighter told me the City and Morgenthau's office were trying to pin blame on the Fire Department for the Deutsche Bank incident, which occurred last August. He said the FDNY was under tremendous pressure to comply with the 15-day inspection. The Firehouse conducts spontaneous inspections (at the numerous new high-rise construction sites in the neighborhood) three times a week. I requested to accompany them on a site inspection and was told that "authorization would need to come from the Chief or downtown."
On Monday, I stopped back and spoke with Chief Richard Tarello. He indicated the request would have to be approved from "downtown." He said they don't receive many requests from the public, but would be accommodating, if approved.
The proposed text of the new Fire Code Law is over 600 pages long. I have not been able to indicate whether the "failed" 15-day inspection cycle will be addressed by this law. Admittedly, timing is a curious thing. The Mayor and FDNY are pushing through a huge revamp of the Fire Code law while they are both under investigation for what went wrong at the Deutsche Bank. Everyone seems to be pointing fingers, clamming up and looking for an alibi.
People to contact:
* Miguel Martinez, Fire and Criminal Justice Services Committee Chair
* Mayor Bloomberg's PR person
* Ask John Jay Fire Safety Expert (in class)
* Contact NYT reporter on the Deutsche Bank Beat
*
A local law to enact a new Fire Code for New York City was introduced in the City Council on March 12, 2008, by Fire and Criminal Justice Services Committee Chair Miguel Martinez, at the request of the Mayor. The proposed local law, Intro 732, would complete the first comprehensive revision of the City’s Fire Code in almost a century, and conclude a four-year Fire Code revision project. The new Fire Code would take effect on July 1, 2008, to coincide with the effective date of the new Building Code and related construction codes. For additional information about the proposed Fire Code, see the Fire Department's December 5, 2007 press release.
I stopped by Battalion 10 on the Upper East Side for general comment. The firefighters there had no comment, as they hadn't heard anything about a new fire code law. Also, authorization to talk with me on the record needed to come from "downtown." One firefighter told me the City and Morgenthau's office were trying to pin blame on the Fire Department for the Deutsche Bank incident, which occurred last August. He said the FDNY was under tremendous pressure to comply with the 15-day inspection. The Firehouse conducts spontaneous inspections (at the numerous new high-rise construction sites in the neighborhood) three times a week. I requested to accompany them on a site inspection and was told that "authorization would need to come from the Chief or downtown."
On Monday, I stopped back and spoke with Chief Richard Tarello. He indicated the request would have to be approved from "downtown." He said they don't receive many requests from the public, but would be accommodating, if approved.
The proposed text of the new Fire Code Law is over 600 pages long. I have not been able to indicate whether the "failed" 15-day inspection cycle will be addressed by this law. Admittedly, timing is a curious thing. The Mayor and FDNY are pushing through a huge revamp of the Fire Code law while they are both under investigation for what went wrong at the Deutsche Bank. Everyone seems to be pointing fingers, clamming up and looking for an alibi.
People to contact:
* Miguel Martinez, Fire and Criminal Justice Services Committee Chair
* Mayor Bloomberg's PR person
* Ask John Jay Fire Safety Expert (in class)
* Contact NYT reporter on the Deutsche Bank Beat
*
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Giambusso Gowanus Questions
(To be asked of Professors Richard Plunz, Architecture and Patricia Culligan, Civil Engineering, of Columbia and authors of Eco Gowanus: Urban Remediation by Design).
1. How have designs for Public Place compared with your own ideas and findings for the needs of the area?
2. Who or what stands essentially in the way of implementing your recommendations? Political will? Money?
3. Discuss briefly your research methods? Did you examine tax records, old titles, designs?
4. What are some of the immediate risks of living above and amidst this particular site?
5. Where else in the U.S. have your ideas of green industrial infrastructure been implemented?
1. How have designs for Public Place compared with your own ideas and findings for the needs of the area?
2. Who or what stands essentially in the way of implementing your recommendations? Political will? Money?
3. Discuss briefly your research methods? Did you examine tax records, old titles, designs?
4. What are some of the immediate risks of living above and amidst this particular site?
5. Where else in the U.S. have your ideas of green industrial infrastructure been implemented?
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Giambusso Gowanus Pitch.
City officials and developers have been encouraging new housing development along a stretch of Gowanus basin, one of the most polluted ecosystems in the country, if not the planet.
"Public Place" is the Orwellian title given to the central project, and is currently being vetted for construction over a former gas manufacturing plant. A high-rise apartment building with affordable housing, commercial/office space, and outdoor landscapes is being proposed over a festering toxic mass, in the belief that two centuries of sewage and all manner of toxic dumping can be covered up with a slab of concrete and a fresh coat of paint.
The central question of my investigation will be, what guarantee can the developers and policy makers give that this site is safe to live on? Professors of architecture and engineering at Columbia recently published a survey of the site that suggests the financial and political investment necesarry to seriously remediate the Gowanus basin isn't feasible.
One of the major safety issues after 9/11 has been airborne toxins from building demolition and construction. To what extent have we heeded these lessons and to what extent has the rabid development market run afoul?
Photo survey of proposed site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/giambusso/sets/72157604111664762/
"Public Place" is the Orwellian title given to the central project, and is currently being vetted for construction over a former gas manufacturing plant. A high-rise apartment building with affordable housing, commercial/office space, and outdoor landscapes is being proposed over a festering toxic mass, in the belief that two centuries of sewage and all manner of toxic dumping can be covered up with a slab of concrete and a fresh coat of paint.
The central question of my investigation will be, what guarantee can the developers and policy makers give that this site is safe to live on? Professors of architecture and engineering at Columbia recently published a survey of the site that suggests the financial and political investment necesarry to seriously remediate the Gowanus basin isn't feasible.
One of the major safety issues after 9/11 has been airborne toxins from building demolition and construction. To what extent have we heeded these lessons and to what extent has the rabid development market run afoul?
Photo survey of proposed site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/giambusso/sets/72157604111664762/
Monday, March 10, 2008
Temporary Hold on Trump Soho After New Accident
Links below to two stories in today's (March 10) news regarding the Trump Soho, where work was ordered to stop again after a new accident.New Accident Stops Work at Trump Soho Tower As Wind Wreaks Havoc (Daily News)
Temporary Hold on Trump Soho After New Accident Doesn't Appease Foes (New York Magazine)
(Photo taken from the Daily News article)
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Scaffold Questions (Steagall)
Worker Safety / Scaffold
Are you aware / in favor of the proposed changes to the Section 201 of the Labor Law, known as the Scaffold Law?
Have you received training on scaffold safety? What did it consist of?
Have you provided training on scaffold safety? What did it consist of?
Has you taken extra precautions in light of the recent deaths of construction workers?
Do you feel that the use of illegal immigrant workers is a detriment to worker safety, both their's and their co-workers?
Friday, February 29, 2008
Site to check out
I came across a site that might be helpful background info for a lot of people, The Safety Library
The site has information on:
Disasters (disaster safety, emergency management, terrorism)
Hazards and controls (biological safety, chemical safety, environmental safety, fire safety, physical hazards, etc.)
Industry Safety
Laws and Regulations
Safety Management
In addition to compiling research, the site also has a great number of links updated constantly on the issues listed above and others (the list is pretty long, but I selected the most relevant ones for the list above).
The site has information on:
Disasters (disaster safety, emergency management, terrorism)
Hazards and controls (biological safety, chemical safety, environmental safety, fire safety, physical hazards, etc.)
Industry Safety
Laws and Regulations
Safety Management
In addition to compiling research, the site also has a great number of links updated constantly on the issues listed above and others (the list is pretty long, but I selected the most relevant ones for the list above).
Monday, February 25, 2008
A Tale of Three Articles
This is for those of you who wanted to see the evolution of my WSN piece from crappy article to crappier article.
To be publicly embarrassed by teenagers is to feel alive.
To be publicly embarrassed by teenagers is to feel alive.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Calendar: Event for Environmental-Health Issues
Who is Coming?????
Community Meetings
CB #1 WTC Redevelopment Committee Monday, February 116:00 PM 250 Broadway, Assembly Hearing Room, 19th Floor
WTC Redevelopment Committee DATE: Monday, February 11, 2008 TIME: 6:00 PM PLACE: Assemblymember Sheldon Silver's Office250 Broadway, Assembly Hearing Room, 19th Floor Agenda1) MTA Update, Uday Durg, MTACCC 2) Fiterman Hall Remediation and Demolition – Update by Pei Cobb Freed Presentation on New Building
Link to WNYC (NPR) Investigative Report on Deutsche Bank
http://www.wnyc.org/go.py?r=http%3A//www.wnyc.org/news/articles/93364
Community Meetings
CB #1 WTC Redevelopment Committee Monday, February 116:00 PM 250 Broadway, Assembly Hearing Room, 19th Floor
WTC Redevelopment Committee DATE: Monday, February 11, 2008 TIME: 6:00 PM PLACE: Assemblymember Sheldon Silver's Office250 Broadway, Assembly Hearing Room, 19th Floor Agenda1) MTA Update, Uday Durg, MTACCC 2) Fiterman Hall Remediation and Demolition – Update by Pei Cobb Freed Presentation on New Building
Link to WNYC (NPR) Investigative Report on Deutsche Bank
http://www.wnyc.org/go.py?r=http%3A//www.wnyc.org/news/articles/93364
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