By JOSEPH KELLARD
during which they allegedly drove a fire truck recklessly through a block party and got involved in fistfights with some of the angry residents.
Anthony Iovino, an attorney for the fire district, said he is reviewing the findings of First Assistant Chief Dan Sabatino, who carried out an internal investigation, the results of which were presented to the board at a meeting on Sept. 25. Iovino said he would meet with Sabatino and prepare the formal disciplinary charges by next week, after which the board will decide on punishment for the Salamander Company firefighters, and possibly release their names, at the next meeting.
The charges can range from misconduct to conduct unbecoming a firefighter, and the penalties can run the gamut from a written reprimand to expulsion from the department. The firefighters facing charges have a right to counsel and a hearing, and can file an appeal with the board of fire commissioners.
After reading reports about the Aug. 11 incident ‹ in which, witnesses allege, the firefighters, en route from a parade in a fire truck and a pickup truck, ripped down a tape barricade on Oceanside Parkway and drove their truck through the block party with the siren blaring and lights flashing ‹ the board and Iovino directed the chief¹s office to conduct the internal investigation. After interviewing residents and guests who attended the party, Sabatino completed his report on Aug. 25, recommending that the firefighters involved in the incident face disciplinary charges.
³The board of commissioners remains proud of the men and women who volunteer their time and place themselves in jeopardy to serve their community,² Iovino said in a prepared statement following last week¹s meeting. ³The board is committed to maintaining the high standards of the department, and places the well being and safety of the community and the members of the Oceanside Fire Department as its highest priority.²
Meanwhile, one resident, Doug McKee, is preparing to file a lawsuit against the department, accusing the firefighters of nearly hitting his 3-year-old son when they drove their truck through the party. He and two other men confronted the firefighters, one of whom punched McKee, who broke his hand when he fought back, McKee said.
McKee and other witnesses said the firefighters, most of who are in their 20s, were holding beer bottles, and many of them appeared drunk.
McKee¹s attorney, Jordan Stern, said that he would file a notice of claim this week, the first step toward a lawsuit against the OFD that will seek restitution for the injury McKee suffered during the brawl. Stern will argue that the firefighters used a fire truck for purposes unrelated to their jobs, that they were in uniform and drinking, and drove their truck through a party on a public street while using their siren and lights.
³It seems that for the firefighters to even consider doing something like this, to go through a block party with beers, it takes a lot of moxie, and that starts at the top somewhere,² Stern said.
He added that he is skeptical of the OFD¹s internal investigation, and believes that the department should have immediately suspended the firefighters involved in the incident. ³To say now that they are going to start going to a formal hearing, and at this point still no one has been suspended, it¹s disappointing,² Stern said. ³There are so many witnesses who clearly say these guys were drinking, in uniform, and tore down the blockade, and drove down the block on a fire truck and almost injured people. To me, that¹s enough to warrant someone being suspended.²
Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287
