FDNY Bomb Squad?

[Truck4 48]

Firefighter Takes Suspicious Pipe Bomb into his Firehouse

By Eyewitness News' Lucy Yang

(New York-WABC, July 10, 2005) — An investigation is underway tonight into why a New York City firefighter removed a pipe bomb from the scene of a suspicious fire and took it back to his firehouse in Queens.

Eyewitness News reporter Lucy Yang has the story.

Police are looking into the actions of a fire lieutenant at the firehouse in Flushing for what he reportedly did and did not do last night.

While some in the neighborhood are calling him heroic, officials argue it was downright dangerous.

By the time the bomb squad was called to Engine 320,proper procedures had not been followed prompting not only questions, but an official investigation.

At 10:30 last night firefighters were called to a residential block not far from the firehouse for a small fire in a trash can. They extinguished it without incident. That should have been the end of that, except a pipe bomb was discovered in a trash can.

Instead of calling the bomb squad immediately, police say, the fire lieutenant took the bomb back to the firehouse, took it apart, put the cap back on, then, called the bomb squad an hour and a half later.

Security expert William Callahan says not only were fire department procedures breached, the whole firehouse was put at risk by bringing a dangerous explosive back to base.

William Callahan: "The pipe bombs are very, very unstable. They are packed with black explosive. They are home made. It has got to be transported in special container. Now, the fire department knows that, prepares for that."

Danny Simone, resident: "I think he did a smart courageous thing, he got it out of a resident area, brought it to commercial area, where there would be minimal damage."

No one was injured last night.

A fire department spokes person was here saying that indeed protocol was not followed last night.

Too early to say if internal review will lead to disciplinary actions against the lieutenant. For now this case is in the hands of the police.

[JBE 328]

#-o

[E64PCFD2044 1]

Who would you pick up a bomb after it was next to a fire and take it apart?? That guy's out of his mind.

[mlcougar2001 8]

its so stupid you almost have to laugh and wonder this guy is a lieutenent.

[JCESU 20]

This doesn't exactly help FDNY's argument against the Mayors executive order. The way gov't works they will probably discipline him with a promotion and put him in charge of policy and procedure. Also in the news article they fail to tell you that Danny Simone is the Engine 320 Chaffeur. =D> =D> =D>

[x635 4,066]

I don't know what to think. I don't know what these guys were thinking!

Hopefully, this story wasn't distorted by the media.

[x648eng119 2]

I tried to find this online, but i was having no luck - there is a "political cartoon" on page 30 of todays (7/13) Daily News.

It shows a firefighter with a helmet shield labeled "Engine 320 - Ladder 167" reading from a book "Bomb Disposal for Dummies". The though bubble above his head says "PUT DOWN BOOK. CALL POLICE. HMmmmmm..."

Check it out if you have a chance to grab the paper. Once again, another way for the public to look down at the fire service

[JCESU 20]

KUDOS GOOD EYE

[Guest TOYBUFF911]

ANOTHER PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHY NYPD ESU SHOULD BE IN CHARGE..........

[JCESU 20]

I tried to find this online, but i was having no luck - there is a "political cartoon" on page 30 of todays (7/13) Daily News.

..."

I looked but couldn't find it..are you sure it was the 12th...?

[CAM502 6]

JCESU he said the 13th.

[JCESU 20]

Sorry....meant to type are you sure it "wasn't" the 12th instead of the 13th? Thank you for paying attention though....

[x648eng119 2]

I'm not 100% sure. I thought it was the 13th, but it was whatever newspaper was on the desk up in the Somers dispatch room!