$10M wrongful death suit claims "racist" FDNY killed probie FF

[ny10570 745]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/02/12...racist_fdn.html

A probationary firefighter who died at a training session was the victim of an FDNY effort to keep blacks out of the department, a lawyer for his widow charged Thursday.

Jamel Sears, who collapsed Nov. 10 at the Fire Academy, died after he was subjected to a more strenuous physical regimen than FDNY hopefuls - most of them white - had undergone in the past, lawyer Ken Thompson said.

Sears' widow, Sherita, filed a notice of claim Feb. 6 informing the city and the FDNY she plans to bring a $10 million wrongful death suit.

"This was the largest class of blacks and Latinos in Fire Department history," Thompson said. "Why did the department decide for the first time to implement this particular training?

I am so angry right now. If any case should be fought to the last dollar, this is one. Not a penny should be payed and not a word of apology or guilt.

[JM15 386]

Does anyone know the more strenuous regimen he was doing? How was this compared to the others?

[SageVigiles 1,194]

I don't even have words to describe how angry this makes me.

[Guest]

Smells like....

[FirefighterJr 2]

WOW...

[FFLieu 70]

Check her finances; I bet her house is on the verge of foreclosure and that she owes people a ton of money. Why else would she bring a frivolous lawsuit? The FDNY doesn't keep blacks and latinos out, it just so happens that a majority of the people who apply for the test to take a job where you run into a burning building while everyone is running out are white. What a load of crap.

[FirNaTine 370]

Anything to make a buck. What a disgrace!

[99subi 121]

^ dude cmon are you kidding me?

[FFPCogs 863]

I mean I'm sorry for the family and my condolences to the widow, but is everything now going to be about race? Where's Sharpton? Ahhh who am I kidding..he's probably prodding her along.

I can't type what I'm really thinking here since it would simply look like this... [edited] that greedy scumbag chisling dirtbag of a lawyer to even entertain such a [frivoluous] lawsuit!!!! I hope they dismiss the case and him before the ink dries.

Stay Safe

Cogs

MOD NOTE: The original content was in violation of the forum rules concerning profanity (direct or masked with symbols). Because you're feelings and emotions are valid, only the content that was in violation was [edited] out and the balance remains.

This is an exception for this particular thread. Ordinarily the entire post would be deleted.

To everyone else, please comply with the forum rules about profanity when expressing your feelings about this situation. Thank you all for your understanding.

Edited February 13, 2009 by Chris192
[Edited to comply with profanity policy.]

[ny10570 745]

In the eyes of the family, It does seam convientiently motivated some how. Did anybody render aid?

Here comes Al.

Thats a fair question, seeing as how the paper did no investigation on their own outside of asking the FD for comment. The recruits were told not to help because the instructors have a system in place to provide care. CPR was started and the defib placed by the instructors. If there's any doubt, after every arrest the data chip from every defib used is downloaded. Everything from the last time the defib was checked to any rhythms detected is recorded and downloaded. After it happened all anyone talked about was how well everything went despite the tragic result. CPR was in progress, ALS was on scene quickly and they were on their way to the hospital in minutes. There were entirely too many people there for something like withholding care to go undiscovered for so long.

[M' Ave 1,466]

Probie Sears was completing the FST course. Functional Skills Training. This is, for lack of a better description, the CPAT test on steroids. I think we can all agree that CPAT is no true test of fire ground rigors.

FST is not a new test and was not implemented simultaneous to the start of the FDNY's most "diverse" academy class to date. The law suit would have you believe that it was and thus had weeding out minorities as it's intention. Perhaps the 286 graduates of that class, more than 1/3 minority, could explain how they all made it through.

The course is actually easier today than it was as recently as 2 years ago. It is an exercise that takes approximately 15 minutes, depending on the candidate, and is completed predominantly while breathing air from an SCBA and in full PPE. The candidate begins the course walking to the 5th floor on air, in gear and carrying a roll-up (1 length of hose) and a standpipe kit. You walk down and exchange the roll-up and stand-pipe kit with a length of hose that has a 15' tail that drags, as though stretching a line in a walk-up apt. When you arrive with this back to the 5th floor you then pull 2 lengths of hose up the stairway well hole, again simulating a tenement stretch for an engine company. After walking down again the candidate those through a course that has a blacked out search tunnel, a dummy drag tunnel, a hose advance tunnel and a simulated parapet that requires the candidate to climb a 5' wall and mount the tip of an aerial ladder and descend about 10'. There is also a forcible entry simulator and a few others.

Someone in decent shape can complete this course in under 15 minutes and MANY of them can complete this course without exhausting a 45 minute cylinder which is impressive considering the work load.

I went through this course once every week for each of the months I was in the FDNY academy. This was a terrific and true test of one's ability. At the completion of the course you really felt you could do anything.

Anyone who would suggest this course is somehow racist or harder than is necesary, well, I say you obviously have never had to carry a length of 2 and a half with a 30 lb. stand-pipe kit to the 15 floor of a housing project and THEN have to go to work fighting a fire.

It is a true disgrace that this woman would sully the name of her deceased husband, the dedicated instructors who run the finest academy in the world and the FDNY, all predicated upon a frivolous claim of racism.

This case should never see a trial as it is baseless, predicated upon misinformation and is itself in fact racist.

Edited February 13, 2009 by M' Ave

[abaduck 123]

To everyone else, please comply with the forum rules about profanity when expressing your feelings about this situation. Thank you all for your understanding.

I understand, but having read some of the other posts - especially the ones by ny10570 & M'Ave - I would find complying with the profanity rules impossible. Consider the wish to be the deed. Enough said.

[DR104 141]

move the case up to Westchester or anyplace outside of the city and see what happens. Nothing!!!! Thats what. If it made to a jury they would throw it out.

[CFD320 35]

I am a graduate of FDNY Class 2 of 08.

We lost a classmate much earlier than any of us expected, we continue to mourn and remember our brother Jamel. My condolences continue to go out to his family who can rest assured that the brothers will always be there for them.

If anyone is interested in purchasing a memorial shirt for Jamel Please PM me

That said; the idea that FST training is somehow a racist plot that was cooked up to hinder minorities from completing probie school is laughable.

In plain english: FST is the single most exhausting simulation of firefighting activities imaginable PERIOD. But hey, we are talking about the training academy for the greatest Fire Department on the face of the earth...So is HAS to be on a whole other level.

Ok, so my point is FST is tough but WE ALL DID IT....Some were good at it, some were not so good but every single person went to FST at least once a week more often twice. The females did it, the latin guys did it, the white guys did it, the Asians, the African Americans EVERYBODY... We all got through it with the exception of Jamel.

The loss of Jamel was tragic, but racist? I guarantee that it was not

Edited as not to give anyone any more ammunition

Edited February 13, 2009 by CFD320

[CFD320 35]

Check her finances; I bet her house is on the verge of foreclosure and that she owes people a ton of money. Why else would she bring a frivolous lawsuit? The FDNY doesn't keep blacks and latinos out, it just so happens that a majority of the people who apply for the test to take a job where you run into a burning building while everyone is running out are white. What a load of crap.

She has no issues financially.

Edited February 13, 2009 by CFD320

[FFPCogs 863]

My apologies for the previous "outburst".

Cogs

[M' Ave 1,466]

I am a graduate of FDNY Class 2 of 08.

If anyone is interested in purchasing a memorial shirt for Jamel Please PM me

I cannot imagine how terrible it was to have lost someone in your academy class. Terrible thing to have happen during the best time in someone's life, the time that they are achieving their goal.

That said, I hope you know someone who can clarify where the money from T-Shirt sales is going, because as you can imagine, no one is going to want to help fund a frivolous lawsuit. I would make that clear before the sign-up in every firehouse kitchen ends up in the round file. Hopefully the money can be alocated towards a memorial plaque or college fund.

Okay, now.........GET BACK IN THE SINK!

[JFLYNN 681]

In the eyes of the family, It does seam convientiently motivated some how. Did anybody render aid?

Here comes Al. $$$$$$$$$$$$ They would probably be better off by trying a negligence lawsuit, if its true that they let him lay about the floor for 15min w/o any intervention.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh good grief, here we go. Is it not possible or is it possible? Lets see the demographics of the instructors and if there are any pending/past

complaints against them.

This is why there are still questions of racism

How do these youtube videos that you have posted show why "there are still questions of racism"?

[CFD320 35]

I cannot imagine how terrible it was to have lost someone in your academy class. Terrible thing to have happen during the best time in someone's life, the time that they are achieving their goal.

That said, I hope you know someone who can clarify where the money from T-Shirt sales is going, because as you can imagine, no one is going to want to help fund a frivolous lawsuit. I would make that clear before the sign-up in every firehouse kitchen ends up in the round file. Hopefully the money can be alocated towards a memorial plaque or college fund.

Okay, now.........GET BACK IN THE SINK!

I can't answer that but I'm Sure Lt. McGibbon can, his contact info came with the T shirt stuff.....

Oh, and yes sir...

Edited February 14, 2009 by CFD320

[ny10570 745]

Racisim is absolutely a problem in the country and I can guarantee you 100% that there are racists all over the FDNY. But guess what, they aren't all white males. Asian, Black, White, Latin, we've all got racists and some of them even post youtube videos. Thats not the issue. The issue is if FDNY is an inherently racist organization and if actions motivated by race caused or contributed to FF Sears.

Since every probie takes the same exact test every week, the only way minorities are specifically affected is if they are inherently less physically capable than white candidates. I all ready covered the treatment he got, and it was better than care the mayor himself would get if he dropped in his living room.

For such a racist organization there were an awful lot of white faces framed out in blue at a funeral for someone none of them knew.