Why Did Firefighters May Day Call Go Unanswered?

Authorities Order Probes Into New FDNY Radios
The New York Fire Dept.s Deputy Commissioner for Public Affairs Frank Gribbin said an internal review is under way, but acknowledged that the new radios purchased from Motorola were "different and new and the problem may have been inadequate training."
"Were not saying the radios were defective," he said. "We did distribute training tapes for firefighters to familiarize themselves with the new radios."
Motorola officials told The Queens Courier on Tuesday that the New York Fire Dept.s new radios may have failed "because of lack of training."
Steven Gorecki, a spokesperson for Motorola, denied that the new radios were recalled.
"A great deal of training is required since this technology is very sophisticated," he said. "The radios offer firefighters greater design flexibility than previous models."
Gorecki said that five high-level Motorola technicians from the Companys Florida manufacturing division have been sent to New York to instruct the NYFD how to properly use the radios. Commissioner Gribbin was unaware of the arrival of Motorola technicians to resolve the problem.
"These radios are not easy to operate the way cell phones are," the Motorola spokesman said.
He said the five technicians will remain in New York for approximately two months until the training period concludes.
Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen said the Dept. purchased 2,700 of the state-of-the-art radios from Motorola. He noted that firefighters have gone back to the older equipment.
"We really want to get the new radios out there because theyre a much better product," he said. "They really enhance the safety of the firefighters."
He indicated that the new radios are undergoing "internal review."
Reports last week in the Daily News stated that the total cost of the new radios was $33 million, not the $4.5 million cited earlier.
Meanwhile, City Comptroller Alan Hevesi and City Council Speaker Peter Vallone announced separate investigations into why the radios were put in use without field tests, and why the contract was so expensive.
The near tragic incident involving the Fire Dept. drew criticism from Thomas DaParma, the Queens trustee of the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA).
"There have been countless complaints made by firefighters and officers alike that frequencies have been picked up in other boroughs, but not on the fire ground where the transmission was intended to go," a UFA statement said.
The FDNY charged that the radios may be too powerful, but Gorecki disagreed.
He said the same system was used by fire departments in Boston, Chicago and other cities and there had been no problems reported.
"A firefighter was almost killed because of this commissioner’s judgment, or lack of judgment," said Capt. Peter Gorman, president of the UFA. Gorman has been at odds with Von Essen over a number of issues in recent months.