Kamododragoon
05-16-2005, 01:34 AM
FDNY'S EYES ON THE SKIES
By SUE EDELMAN and SAM SMITHSun May 15, 3:15 AM ET
The Fire Department is weighing the purchase of one or more military helicopters to take firefighters into skies now patrolled only by the NYPD.
The obstacles, insiders said, are the huge costs — the price of a modified Black Hawk ranges up to $28 million — and the possibility of ratcheting up an already ugly turf war between the police and fire departments.
"If we were going to get one right now, I don't think it will sit well," said a high-ranking FDNY source, referring to the ongoing feud over cops being put in charge of all possible terrorist incidents.
"We are continually seeking new ways to improve our terrorism preparedness," said department spokesman Frank Gribbon, who added that no decision on choppers has been made.
The helicopter plan was pitched two weeks ago during a presentation shown to FDNY brass, including Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta.
The proposal, produced by FDNY and EMS chiefs, says the department could buy a helicopter for as little as $15 million to $20 million. It could be used for everything from extinguishing and surveying fires to delivering firefighters and paramedics to scenes and evacuating victims.
New York City, unlike Los Angeles, Chicago and San Diego, has no rescue helicopters. NYPD choppers are too small for large-scale evacuations or firefighting duties.
In the course of its investigation, the FDNY/EMS research team examined Bell Helicopter and went to Stratford, Conn., to meet with industry giant Sikorsky Aircraft, which manufactures the military-grade Black Hawk. A Sikorsky spokesman said the company met with the FDNY twice.
The company's "Firehawk," a modified Black Hawk, is used by the Los Angeles County Fire Department and is being considered by the FDNY.
The Firehawk can carry 11 crew members as well as a pilot and co-pilot and can drop 1,000 gallons of water on a fire.
Los Angeles ended up spending nearly $28 million for a Firehawk after bringing in the cost of training and spare parts.
The FDNY said it sees the cost as prohibitive but believes it could have a chance at Homeland Security grants if the helicopters were bought for the New York City metro area.
"Might it make sense to have a resource like this for New York, New Jersey, Westchester? Yeah, it might," said a department source. "That makes more sense to people here."
The 2002 McKinsey Report, which looked into ways the department could improve its preparedness after 9/11, recommended the use of helicopters to assess fires and conduct rescue operations.
For the past year, the FDNY has had access to NYPD helicopters, which take chiefs into the air to monitor fires and send live surveillance feeds to the Fire Department's headquarters.
Link
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=425&e=1&u=/nypost/20050515/lo_nypost/fdny39seyesontheskies
By SUE EDELMAN and SAM SMITHSun May 15, 3:15 AM ET
The Fire Department is weighing the purchase of one or more military helicopters to take firefighters into skies now patrolled only by the NYPD.
The obstacles, insiders said, are the huge costs — the price of a modified Black Hawk ranges up to $28 million — and the possibility of ratcheting up an already ugly turf war between the police and fire departments.
"If we were going to get one right now, I don't think it will sit well," said a high-ranking FDNY source, referring to the ongoing feud over cops being put in charge of all possible terrorist incidents.
"We are continually seeking new ways to improve our terrorism preparedness," said department spokesman Frank Gribbon, who added that no decision on choppers has been made.
The helicopter plan was pitched two weeks ago during a presentation shown to FDNY brass, including Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta.
The proposal, produced by FDNY and EMS chiefs, says the department could buy a helicopter for as little as $15 million to $20 million. It could be used for everything from extinguishing and surveying fires to delivering firefighters and paramedics to scenes and evacuating victims.
New York City, unlike Los Angeles, Chicago and San Diego, has no rescue helicopters. NYPD choppers are too small for large-scale evacuations or firefighting duties.
In the course of its investigation, the FDNY/EMS research team examined Bell Helicopter and went to Stratford, Conn., to meet with industry giant Sikorsky Aircraft, which manufactures the military-grade Black Hawk. A Sikorsky spokesman said the company met with the FDNY twice.
The company's "Firehawk," a modified Black Hawk, is used by the Los Angeles County Fire Department and is being considered by the FDNY.
The Firehawk can carry 11 crew members as well as a pilot and co-pilot and can drop 1,000 gallons of water on a fire.
Los Angeles ended up spending nearly $28 million for a Firehawk after bringing in the cost of training and spare parts.
The FDNY said it sees the cost as prohibitive but believes it could have a chance at Homeland Security grants if the helicopters were bought for the New York City metro area.
"Might it make sense to have a resource like this for New York, New Jersey, Westchester? Yeah, it might," said a department source. "That makes more sense to people here."
The 2002 McKinsey Report, which looked into ways the department could improve its preparedness after 9/11, recommended the use of helicopters to assess fires and conduct rescue operations.
For the past year, the FDNY has had access to NYPD helicopters, which take chiefs into the air to monitor fires and send live surveillance feeds to the Fire Department's headquarters.
Link
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=425&e=1&u=/nypost/20050515/lo_nypost/fdny39seyesontheskies