“Deeply Troubling” - Kerry Calls for Investigation of Firefighter Unit

[kerrygoddess]

“Deeply Troubling” - Kerry Calls for Investigation of Firefighter Unit
Posted by Pamela Leavey
February 5th, 2007 @ 4:12 pm



An MSNBC.com investigation was a call to action today for John Kerry, as he called for an investigation with “hours of the story’s publication.” The MSNBC investigation and story is, “based on federal investigative reports, documents made public under the Freedom of Information Act and extensive interviews, revealed that 15 firefighters have died since 1998 in fires where a PASS, or Personal Alert Safety System, either didn’t sound or was so quiet that rescuers weren’t given a chance to find the firefighter quickly.”

Nine of those deaths came after the federal government blocked the investigation by its own expert into possible failures of PASS alarms and other firefighting equipment, the documents show.

Kerry sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services asking that they “investigate “deeply troubling” information in an MSNBC.com special report indicating that the federal unit charged with probing firefighter deaths ignored a warning in 2000 that personal alarms used at fire scenes might be failing.”

“It is completely unacceptable that our first responders don’t have the proper safety equipment, and if these allegations prove true, it’s unfathomable that the CDC would cover up something so detrimental to our firefighters’ safety,” Kerry told MSNBC.com. “I have asked the Department of Health and Human Services to launch a full investigation into these allegations. Nearly 1 million brave men and women risk their lives every day; we owe it to them and to the families of the deceased firefighters to get answers and hold the negligent parties accountable.”

Bill Dedman, MSNBC investigative reporter noted in his stroy that “Donald White, a spokesman for the inspector general’s office at HHS, said the office would review Kerry’s request over the next several weeks, after which “it will get assigned to the proper component within the office of IG for further investigation as warranted.””

“Over the next several weeks?” “Investigation as warranted?” Where the heck are the priorities of these fools?

MORE & LINKS - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=5247

[aquart]

1. WTF manufactures the PASS alarms?

How much did they give the Republicans?

And when can I hang them?

[kerrygoddess]

2. I dunno

on both but would love to.

[blm]

4. Look at the coverup of NYC Firefighters and their failed communications system.

Giuliani knew and did nothing before 9-11. Equipment failures KILL - but GOPs push taxcuts so BIG BUSINESS and BIG MONEYMEN stay happy.

[kerrygoddess]

5. Any llinks? n/t

[karynnj]

7. Here's a link

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-09-27-talk-usat_x.htm

The hard part was finding one from a mainstream source - google's algorithm is weird.

[kerrygoddess]

9. Thanks

Looking for something that specifically links Guiliani. Will try Google later. This may come in handy though.

[karynnj]

10. Here are some links-

Because people died, it is really important to not jump on this issue except to say that NYC was not as prepared for 911 as some Guiliani fans suggest. It is true that the incompatibility of the radios was known and they had attempted unsuccessfully to address it pre-911.

This link contains Guiliani's testimony to the 911 commision - and the description of the problem. The issue was brought up - at the time, I remember watching it. The criticism was that the commissioners did not press Guiliani on his answers. He was treated as a hero of 911. This is a great source of information on the impact of this incompatibility.(What I need and can't find is a NY article that identifies this as a problem before 911.)

http://www.9-11commission.gov/archive/hearing11/9-11Commission_Hearing_2004-05-19.htm


As to the charges that problems were covered up - this link looks good and the content referenced seems good - but I know nothing about their reliability. ( The 911 testimony excerpted here is in the first link in a complete form:

http://dailygotham.com/blog/paul/giulianis_9_11_myth_begins_to_take_on_water

Here's a fascinating, complex look at the problems of co-ordinating police et al from a computer point of view - it shows that NYC really had some pretty archaic systems, but it seems they were not unique. (This plus the commission one suggest to me that it wasn't so much a cover-up, but a reluctance to blame Guilliani for failing to have perfect systems available because that would be scapegoating and unfair. However, people have gone far in the other direction labelling him the leading expert on managing a city hit by terrorism.)

http://www.baselinemag.com/print_article2/0,1217,a=30781,00.asp

[blm]

11. thanks - sometimes I think the difficulty is deliberate.

.

[PresidentObama]

3. Kerry calling for investigations.

God, I love this guy ;)

[MH1]

6. K & R. Nice to have a thread about a real issue that affects real people.

Thanks, kerrygoddess!

And thanks to Kerry for calling attention to this.

[wisteria]

8. This is typical Kerry, he is there immediately to demand action.

I think we should keep this for follow-up. I want to see if it is acted on. This is extremely important situation that needs investigation.