FDNY investigators today will begin grilling a fire captain and other witnesses to the New Year's Eve brawl that left a Staten Island firefighter critically injured, officials said yesterday.
The probers want to know what sparked the violence and whether Capt. Terrence Sweeney or any of his men attempted to cover up the violence, in which firefighter Bob Walsh was smashed in the face with a metal chair in the Totenville firehouse - allegedly by colleague Michael Silvestri.
Sweeney and two other firefighters were in the kitchen of Engine Co. 151 on Amboy Road on New Year's Eve, when the alleged attack occurred.
They have already spoken with police, who filed assault charges against Silvestri on New Year's Day - but now they must face investigators working for the FDNY's assistant commissioner for investigations, James Drury.
Union rules give firefighters 48 hours before they can be interviewed by FDNY investigators. The Staten Island firefighters were formally notified of the interviews Friday.
Sources said Drury's probers plan to interview all of the 15 to 20 officers and firefighters who worked at the firehouse that day, whether or not they witnessed the alleged attack.
Sweeney is likely to be on the hot seat.
Sources have said he and his men concocted a story for doctors that Walsh was injured falling down stairs - and made a false entry into a firehouse logbook about the incident.
Walsh was attacked at 6:45 p.m. but cops were not informed until about 3 a.m. and probers want to know what happened in the eight-hour gap.
Police have said they will weigh charges of obstructing a criminal investigation or tampering with evidence because firefighters cleaned up the crime scene before cops were called in.
Despite the allegations of cover-up, Walsh's family has refrained from criticizing the other firefighters.
"The one thing the captain did right is he saved my brother's life," said Walsh's older brother, Jim Walsh.
"He took him to the hospital immediately. If he didn't do so, his airway would have been blocked and he would have choked on his own blood."
Walsh is in a medically induced coma, with serious facial wounds. One family member said he was able to squeeze a relative's hand in response to questions over the weekend.
"He's obviously very uncomfortable but we're keeping a vigil around his bedside and we're praying for him."
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