Major disciplinary action is being taken as the result of a firehouse brawl on New Years Eve -- that left a fireman critically injured. Captain Terrence Sweeney is being demoted, heavily fined and will retire from the Fire Department.
It is an attempt to move forward, at least in part, in an investigation involving drinking, violence, and more than half a dozen firefighters. The deal for Sweeney is getting mixed reviews, as the Fire Department brass tried to set the tone for the future.
It is one of several scandals the Fire Department continues to cope with. And although it is far from over, the role of Terrence Sweeney at a Staten Island firehouse is now much more defined.
Nicholas Scoppetta, FDNY Commissioner: "Captain Sweeney was extremely cooperative and candid."
He was candid about how on New Year's Eve Firefighter Michael Silvestri picked up a steel chair and struck another firefighter, Robert Walsh, across the face. Walsh's injuries were critical.
Nicholas Scoppetta, FDNY Commissioner: "He acknowledged that he witnessed the assault and failed to report it in a timely fashion...that he failed to relieve the assailant of duty in a timely fashion."
Sweeney now faces penalties, but not termination. The deal includes the 48-year-old's retirement as of Feb. 10th, a fine of $90,883 to be paid by Feb. 10th, and a demotion from captain to firefighter. But Sweeney will get his full pension of $71,000 a year.
Late Saturday's, Sweeney's union representative said, despite the full pension, this was not the deal they expected.
Peter Gorman, Uniformed Fire Officers' Assn.: "We have a right to stand up for the integrity of our members and everyone has rights. We believe Captain Sweeney has been given a public flogging here."
They say the punishment came from City Hall -- not the Commissioner.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner is cracking down on firefighers, after several scandals involving alcohol on the job. The Commissioner admitted that he believed alcohol was a factor in the attack at Staten Island Ladder Company 76 on New Year's Eve. He plans to reassign everyone else at that firehouse to other places. And promises more charges against others as this investigation continues.
On Friday, two fire officers were suspended without pay. They are accused of drinking on the job.
Related:
- FDNY Captain Retires, Pays Fine Over Firehouse Brawl
- Beaten FDNY Firefighter Says First Words
- Firefighter Charged in FDNY Assault Likely to Lose Job
- Taunts, Teasing Part of Firehouse Culture
- Dennis Smith: When the Bravest Battle Themselves
- FDNY Brawlers Face Hot Seat
- 6 NYC Firefighters on Desk Duty Post-Brawl
- FDNY Brawl Leaves One Man Critically Injured
