Staten Island Firefighters Sue Over Injuries and Demand Policy Change

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It is anticipated on Monday that three FDNY firefighters who suffered severe injuries last year while combating a house fire on Staten Island will announce their lawsuit against New York City. Four firefighters are suing for $20 million each, for a total of $80 million in compensation for injuries suffered in the fire that they say was made more dangerous because of a city policy that closes firehouses for annual physicals.

The fire occurred in February of last year. Fighting the four-alarm fire at the Shotwell Avenue house was made more challenging by strong gusts.

According to Lt. Bill Doody, Firefighter William Guidera, and Firefighter Kwabena Brentuo, the firefighters were short-staffed when the fire broke out because of a city policy that shutters firehouses for yearly medical inspections and training. According to their attorneys, Ladder Company 167, the closest firehouse to the incident, was closed that day because of medical examinations.

"You're talking about life-altering injuries, Lt. Doody, they couldn't figure out what had melted onto his leg, Firefighter Guidera jumped out of the second floor building," said attorney Andreas Koutsoudakis. "Instead of someone responding from two blocks away, you have someone responding from 20 minutes away, and instead of coming into a fire that maybe could have went out in five minutes, they're running into a raging fire which collapsed."

At 10:00 a.m., the lawsuit will be made public in front of the Richmond County Supreme Court.