New York Life Safety Rope Law Met With Skepticism

[JohnnyOV 2]

New York Life Safety Rope Law Met With Skepticism

The Black Sunday fire -- the Jan. 23, 2005 Bronx blaze that claimed the lives of FDNY Firefighters Lt. John Bellew and Lt. Curtis Meyran -- was "a major turning point in the fire service."

That's what Jeff Cool, then a firefighter at Rescue 3, one of six trapped in the apartment building that day, recently said about the fire. Ladder 27's Eugene Stalowski and Brendan Cawley bailed from a window much like Bellew and Meyran did, but survived.

Luckily for Cool and Rescue 3 colleague Joseph DiBernardo, they had use of a life safety rope which Cool had bought from Firehouse Expo in Baltimore the year before.

During a presentation at Firehouse Expo in 2006, Cool said, "If that rope wasn't there, we would've been dead."

Nine months after the tragedy, the FDNY re-issued the ropes after they stopped providing them to firefighters in 2000.

This past August, New York's Governor Eliot Spitzer signed a law requiring employers to provide firefighters throughout New York, excluding the FDNY, with life safety ropes.

The law went into effect Oct. 1, but has been met with skepticism by some.

"It kind of seems like a knee jerk reaction, to be honest," Cool said, adding that he doesn't understand how it will be enforced since it's an unfunded bill.

"(The politicians) know that I'm less than happy with what they're doing," he said.

Gordon Wren Jr., the Director Rockland County Fire Services -- which is staffed fully by volunteers -- also isn't sold on the new law.

"I think their intentions are good," he said. "But there's no money to implement it."

"It's a very complex issue and is something that should be done," he said, noting that many responsible departments in the area had already begun providing firefighters with ropes.

Allan Richards, an aide to Assembly member Susan V. John who was the main sponsor of the bill, said the issue of money is being looked into.

Richards confirmed there is no funding for the law, but that the state Senate and Assembly are aware of the burden placed on smaller career and volunteer departments.

He said that both are "looking for ways in upcoming budget cycle" to limit the burden placed on those departments by finding ways to fund the law.

He said that according to what he was told, the systems would cost somewhere between $225 and $250 per system.

According to a letter sent out to fire service officials by New York Department of Labor Assistant Director David Ruppert, a "pretty good rig" can be bought for under $100.

The letter also stated that all systems must meet the NFPA 1983 standard for life safety ropes.

Sherri Raponi, a Senior Safety and Health Consultant for the DOL, explained the implementation of the new law.

"We're having employers first assess the need for the systems," she said. "If you are a small department and you are fighting fires for a two-story structure, there shouldn't be a need for those systems."

Cool brought up the point that if areas with only two-story buildings are not required to follow the law, buildings -- such as his home -- which are two stories in the front but more like three in the back, will go unaccounted for.

Raponi said that to her knowledge the issue has not been looked into.

In Ruppert's letter, the assessment also included determining which firefighters would need a life safety rope system, stating that "Individuals who don't enter the building and would never be expected to need the equipment" would not be required to be outfitted with the rope by law.

Tom Wutz, Chief of the New York Fire Services Bureau, said that it is his understanding that when the state Senate goes back into session, the start date of the law will be amended to allow departments to better assess their needs.

Although the law is technically now in effect, the Department of Labor doesn't fine employers off the bat, Raponi said. The first step would be to conduct an inspections after which if failed the department would be given a date to comply. If regulations are not met by the follow-up inspection, a fine would be levied.

Roponi said the fine could reach up to $200 per day for a serious violation to lower than $50 per day for less serious violations.

[Bunkers 0]

Having a bailout rope in your gear shouldnt even be a question. Every member of the fire service should carry one. It is one of those things that shouldnt be about bulk or extra weight. It could save your life. If you dont already have one, I would suggest buying your own.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

This is very simple...find the funding. Do the risk analysis and get your interior firefighters a bail out system. Issuing 40' of rope and a carabiner isn't that difficult to fund if you work the numbers out right. This is a safety thing and most of the firefighters out there have systems already. Get it to the ones who do not, replace the ones that aren't servicable and then rotate new equipment to those who have it already.