By FireRescue1 Staff
NEW YORK — A veteran FDNY captain is under fire after saying firefighters ‘do not run into burning buildings.’
New York Post reported that Capt. Paul Washington, who has filed a racial discrimination lawsuit, made the comments in a pitch to potential minority recruits at Borough of Manhattan Community College.
“Everyone’s afraid – they think they’re going to get hurt or killed,” Washington said. “We do not run into burning buildings. We do not run into burning buildings.”
“You see a fire, you see smoke coming out of the window. The whole building is not on fire, all right?” Washington added. There’s one apartment in that building that’s on fire. In fact, there’s probably one room in that one apartment that’s on fire.”
Capt. Washington also estimated that an average of two FDNY firefighters die annually, “if you take out 9/11.”
“What’s the chances you’re going to be one of those two people who die out of 10,000? I’ll take those chances. It’s a very small risk,” he said.
FDNY spokesperson Frank Dwyer did not support Washington’s comments, and said 1,147 firefighters have died in the line of duty since the department began 152 years ago.
“Firefighting will always be a very dangerous profession,” Dwyer said as he commended the 72,000 “brave men and women” who are set to take the firefighter entrance exam this year.
Capt. Washington’s speech infuriated firefighters.
“He’s doing a tremendous disservice, not only to those prospective employees, but to every firefighter in the city, and to the millions of people they have sworn to protect,” former Chief FDNY Physical Trainer Pete Critsimilios said. “The job is highly dangerous. It’s dirty. It’s scary on occasion. It’s physically demanding,” he said. “For him to downplay those dangers to potential applicants, in my opinion, borders on criminal.”