Public Employee Press

Rockets’ red glare

By GREGORY N. HEIRES

Fitzroy Benjamin likes to call Fire Protection Inspectors the secret service of the Fire Dept.

“You don’t hear much about us, because what we do to protect the people of the city is done outside of the public eye,” said Benjamin, a Deputy Chief Inspector and secretary of Local 375’s Uniformed Fire Protection Inspectors Chapter.

Benjamin is among about 25 of the 254 inspectors at the department who monitor the more than 100 major fireworks shows held in the city each year — including the fabled Fourth of July display sponsored by Macy’s, the Coney Island Beach events and the popular summertime shows in Central Park after New York Philharmonic performances.

Besides the grand events enjoyed by huge throngs of city dwellers and visitors, the shows include smaller displays at bar mitzvahs, weddings and neighborhood ethnic celebrations.

It’s a tribute to the skills of the fireworks team that not one death, major injury or serious mishap has occurred since the department started doing on-site monitoring a quarter century ago. It’s one of several units that have protected lives for years by ensuring that fire code is met in buildings, street fairs and other large public events.

Years before, you only needed a permit to do a show. But after a pyrotechnics company stirred up a controversy by staging a show late at night in a residential neighborhood without the proper permit, the FDNY decided it needed to develop a cadre of fire inspectors who specialize in monitoring fireworks shows in addition to their regular duties enforcing the city’s fire code, recalled Lawrence McCassling, deputy chief inspector. “We are very stringent in the city. We don’t play around,” said Daryl Chalmers, the chapter president. “We are never lackadaisical and we have a good record.”

Always on the lookout
“Because you’re dealing with explosives, you have to constantly tout safety on the job site, said Charles Holzinger, a deputy chief inspector. “We are the eyes of the pyrotechnicians and may see something dangerous that they don’t notice. We are there to secure safety for the entire site.”

The inspectors oversee shows from start to finish. They sign off on permits, check truckloads of fireworks and ensure that the launching racks are a safe distance from trees, buildings and other possible obstructions. They also serve as community liaisons, letting neighborhood organizations and other city agencies, such as the Dept. of Transportation and the Police Dept., know about upcoming shows. They even perform the unpleasant task of sending home pyrotechnicians who have liquor on their breath.

During the shows, besides watching over the pyrotechnicians, the inspectors must pay attention to other factors, such as changes in the weather, including wind patterns. Chalmers recalled he had to shut down a Fourth of July show off Staten Island because of a sudden thundershower. A major explosion could have occurred had lightning stuck the explosives on a barge.

Over the years, the inspectors have witnessed the globalization of the business — many contractors now purchase their fireworks from China — as well as the development of safer, high-tech practices at shows. “I can remember 10 years ago, watching the man with a flare in his hand lighting and ducking,” said McCassling. A few years ago, the city urged Macy’s to computerize its displays, partly to avoid the danger of setting off fireworks with hand-held flares. Nowadays, pyrotechnicians use laptop computers and electronic switches to launch fireworks.

“Our Fire Inspectors have helped other municipalities and even states develop their standards for fireworks safety,” Local 375 President Claude Fort said. “The Fire Department has an exemplary track record, thanks to their dedication and expertise.”