The Telephone Company Fire

[1261Truckie]

Rest in Peace to those lost as a result of this fire 45 years ago. Thought and prayers to those who suffer because of it.

 

[tperez102]

Truckie I pulling this also. Some background on this PVC Tubing.

This is all Prior to the Zadroga Act/Bill. 

No firefighters were killed at the telephone building site but many later developed cancer attributed to the chemical toxins that were released during the fire.The burning toxins from the PVC insulated wiring that burned has shown heightened risks of cancer years after exposure. Approximately forty cases of cancer can be linked back to the fire. Dr. Steven Lin, a doctor at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, investigated the relationship between the toxins and the cancers developed by firefighters. He concluded that polyvinyl chloride, a chemical present during the fire, leads to various types of cancer. However, these cancers are developed twenty years after exposure.

During the fire, the Fire Department of New York did not document the medical records of the firefighters, making it nearly impossible to track their health progress. Instead, they put a red stamp on the firefighters' documents that said "Telephone Exchange Fire" to simply show they were there. In 1997, The Fire Department interviewed two hundred and thirty nine fire fighters involved in the fire and found eighteen had died. Seven of these eighteen deaths were from cancer and six of those deaths were from first responders. The average age of those deaths was fifty. By the 1990s the City of New York considered cancer in firefighters to be job-related and compensated by paying then a 75% pension rather than the standard 50% pension. However, if the cancer was diagnosed after retirement, there was no additional compensation.

 

[nfd2004]

Truckie I pulling this also. Some background on this PVC Tubing.

This is all Prior to the Zadroga Act/Bill. 

No firefighters were killed at the telephone building site but many later developed cancer attributed to the chemical toxins that were released during the fire.The burning toxins from the PVC insulated wiring that burned has shown heightened risks of cancer years after exposure. Approximately forty cases of cancer can be linked back to the fire. Dr. Steven Lin, a doctor at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, investigated the relationship between the toxins and the cancers developed by firefighters. He concluded that polyvinyl chloride, a chemical present during the fire, leads to various types of cancer. However, these cancers are developed twenty years after exposure.

During the fire, the Fire Department of New York did not document the medical records of the firefighters, making it nearly impossible to track their health progress. Instead, they put a red stamp on the firefighters' documents that said "Telephone Exchange Fire" to simply show they were there. In 1997, The Fire Department interviewed two hundred and thirty nine fire fighters involved in the fire and found eighteen had died. Seven of these eighteen deaths were from cancer and six of those deaths were from first responders. The average age of those deaths was fifty. By the 1990s the City of New York considered cancer in firefighters to be job-related and compensated by paying then a 75% pension rather than the standard 50% pension. However, if the cancer was diagnosed after retirement, there was no additional compensation.

"tperez102", A very sad story that later claimed many firefighter lives.

I'm guessing that as a result of this fire, things today have changed for members of the fire depts. with required protective equipment etc.

But it was because of a fire like this and the loss of firefighters from cancer at such a young age, that led to some very necessary changes.

As I remember, WNYF ran a story on this and the front cover featured a picture of the huge volume of toxic smoke coming from the building. Firefighters that were there described it as crawling into a large toaster with rows and rows of burning wires from floor to ceiling level

 

[FDNYSTATENISLAND]

Maybe this is the picture you?re talking about Willy?

 

[nfd2004]

Yes, I think that's it SI. THANK YOU.

The huge volume of heavy toxic smoke. I'm not sure, but I think initially there were guys inside there fighting that fire, crawling between the rows of burning wire.

Actually I had a friend who worked in the Fire Patrol at the time, ("BFD151"-a member here) that had about a four inch piece of that burned wire. A quick smell of it in the fresh air could knock you over.

 

[eng65ine]

My Dad responded with Engine 65.  Rescue 3 responded as well, and the next day, the Lt. on Rescue 3 Mike Maloney became LODD.  More than likely the Telephone Fire contributed to his demise.

 

[68jk09]

I worked the 9x6 in 108 that day & the Fire was all over the TV news.....we called the Dispatchers & asked to go ... they said adjoining Trucks had already gone so we had to stay in BKLYN.....that probably was a good thing that we did not go after all....when i went to R*2 two yrs later i worked with some of the BROTHERS that had responded to the Fire....several have since suffered with cancer & one has died from multiple cancers.