Mass Resignation By FDNY Instructors To Support Their Boss
MICHAEL CACCIOLA: Subordinates rally around him.
Posted: Friday, June 5, 2015 12:00 am | Updated: 7:33 pm, Fri Jun 5, 2015.
At least 24 instructors in the Fire Academy’s fitness department have quit, taking their names off a list of those available to train probationary firefighters, in protest of the reassignment of department head Lieut. Michael Cacciola, THE CHIEF-LEADER has learned.
The instructors, who make up at least 40 percent of those who prepare candidates for the physical entrance exam, sent their resignations in blast e-mails to other trainers, citing loyalty to a man who has headed the fitness unit since shortly after 9/11.
FST Fallout?
Rumors have spread about why the Lieutenant, along with a deputy, Lieut. Peter Critsimilios, were being reassigned, with some believing it’s about questions over treatment of women in the Academy or his work on the Functional Skills Training (FST), a physical skills course that he shepherded into prominence. Since 2008, that course has been timed and graded as part of each candidate’s graduation requirements. It came under fire by the City Council last December as a possible hindrance to the hiring of women, who make up a far smaller proportion than in other major fire departments—less than one half of one percent of the firefighting force.
But firefighter sources familiar with the decision cite another reason that has nothing to do with his work shaping the Academy curriculum. (The Lieutenant has been active on prominent national boards, serving on the National Fire Protection Agency’s Occupational Safety and Health Technical Committee and as a master instructor for the International Association of Fire Fighters.)
The FDNY sources say that the dismissal was sparked by
recent leaks to the press that have revealed details about the
Academy performance of firefighter candidates. They included
a New York Post story about a woman who came up slow on a
qualifying run, another who was placed on light duty after an
injury, and a third whose score on the FST would have
disqualified her under the stricter standards used in 2013 and
2014. Other stories appeared about alleged deficiencies among
Academy classes with many minority members, including a
higher drop-out rate in the class with the largest number of
“priority hires.” Those candidates were given precedence in
hiring under a court order stemming from a Federal
discrimination suit against the department.
Buck Stopped With Him
As head of the fitness unit, Lieutenant Cacciola was
held responsible for the leaks, the firefighters say.
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro addressed them in a
department-wide edict earlier this month, calling
them an “embarrassment” that “bring[s] dishonor to
the FDNY family.” Without mentioning that the leaks
had been about women and people of color, he
talked extensively about how members of every
group in the department were equal.
It’s no secret that the department has been highly concerned about media leaks in recent years; in 2013, it was revealed that the FDNY had been subpoenaing the phone records of some members in an attempt to determine who had been talking to the Post.
Some of those who resigned from training cited their personal loyalty to Lieutenant Cacciola as a teacher and superior officer who helped launch their careers; others bellowed that the reassignment was over the FST, and said that the department was poised to lower standards. The Lieutenant was said to be closely aligned with former Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano and his Chief of Training, Thomas Galvin.
Some firefighters have since volunteered to replace at least some of those who left in protest.
‘Highly Dedicated’
In a phone interview, Uniformed Fire Officers Association President James Lemonda, to whom Lieutenant Cacciola reported in the Fire Academy a decade ago, described him and Lieutenant Critsimilios as “two of the most highly-dedicated individuals out there.”
“I witnessed first-hand how they would assist probationary Firefighters that may be having some difficulties and struggling. How they would individually try to help these people overcome their deficiencies. I believe their philosophy was one of they wanted to see everyone succeed,” Mr. Lemonda said, adding that he believed they helped “these young probationary Firefighters instill some confidence in themselves” and to push past their limits.
Mr. Lemonda’s comments clash with previous remarks by Vulcan and United Women Firefighters members, who have in the past portrayed the atmosphere during the time that Lieutenant Cacciola ran the department as one where a culture of bullying prevailed, particularly against women and people of color.
But the union leader added that he believed the training has been superb over the last several years.
Says Training ‘Never Better’
“If you were to take a poll, the prevailing attitude of the officers in the field is that the training of probationary Firefighters coming into the field has never been better,” he said, adding that he could not recall an earlier Medal Day when three probies received medals, as they did last week.
Asked about the leaks, he said that, like United Women Firefighters President Sarinya Srisakul, he condemned them, adding, “But I condemn all leaks to the press. I think when you start speaking about individuals, it’s very harmful to that individual and to the department as a whole.”
Regina Wilson, president of the Vulcan Society of Black Firefighters, said the Vulcans support any steps the FDNY takes to make the department more inclusive.
Posted on Friday, June 5, 2015 12:00 am. Updated: 7:33 pm.
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