New York Fire Department News

Ex-FDNY Chief Gets 20 Months Over Bribes to Expedite Inspections

A former New York City Fire Department chief will spend 20 months behind bars after admitting to taking thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for preferential treatment on building inspections and approvals. Brian Cordasco, a chief in the Bureau …

Voluntary Evacuations Help Firefighters Contain New York State Forest Wildfire

A voluntary evacuation of homes over the weekend helped New York firefighters continue their progress in containing a state park wildfire near the New Jersey border. The state requested that residents in about 165 homes in Warwick, New York evacuate …

Ex-New York Fire Chief Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes to Speed Inspections

A former New York City Fire Department chief pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal conspiracy charge, admitting that he and others solicited tens of thousands of dollars over two years to give preferential treatment in scheduling safety inspections. Brian Cordasco, …

Two Former New York Fire Chiefs Face Bribery Charges Tied to Safety Inspections

Two former chiefs of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) have been charged with bribery and corruption for allegedly expediting access to fire safety inspections for preferred customers in exchange for payments. Anthony Saccavino and Brian Cordasco were indicted …

Roughly 85K Museum Artifacts Feared Lost in NYC Chinatown Fire

Some 85,000 artifacts that tell the story of the Chinese migration to the United States may have been lost in a fire that struck a building in the heart of Manhattan’s Chinatown, a museum official said Friday. The president of …

Helicopter Trade Group Had Fought Open-Door Tours for Years

The leading trade group for helicopter operators has, for at least two years, urged a halt to open-door tours such as the one that ended in the death of five people in the East River off Manhattan on March 11. …

Fatal Copter Tour Flew Under Looser Rules of Crop-Dusters

The open-door helicopter tour in which five people died in a crash landing in the East River off Manhattan on Sunday was operating under safety restrictions reserved for photography flights that are looser than those for commercial air-tour rides. Federal …