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Department under fireA number of high profile incidents in recent years have made the Boston Fire Department the target of criticism. Read more about the details below.
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latest news
- 5/15/09 Fire truck safety chief fired; absenteeism cited
- 11/05/08 Ex-firefighter pleads not guilty to charges
- 11/4/08 Restraining order details complaint about Arroyo
- 11/3/08 Boston police arrest ex-firefighter
- 9/21/08 Man involved in fight with firefighter dies
- 9/19/08 Audit set for city's processing of disability claims
Opinion
- 7/18/08 Editorial: A weight on the fire department
- 7/10/08 Joan Vennochi: Fire Department's culture problem
- 5/4/08 Jeff Jacoby: My respect for Boston Firefighters Union
- 4/18/08 Adrian Walker: Unsettling claims
- 2/26/08 Adrian Walker: Mediating a mess
- 1/27/08 Editorial: A firestorm of dysfunction
- 1/17/08 Joan Vennochi: Putting the heat on the department
- 1/15/08 Editorial: Blitzed by the firefighters union
- 10/5/07 Editorial: Fire tragedy deepens
- 8/31/07 Adrian Walker: A grim reminder
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Despite claiming he is "permanently disabled," former firefighter Albert Arroyo is a bodybuilder.
FIREFIGHTER DISABILITY
3 arrested in inquiry
into fire pension abuse
Federal authorities charged two former Boston firefighters yesterday with faking career-ending injuries and charged a Fire Department clerk with lying under oath, the first arrests in an ongoing investigation of pension abuse in the BFD. (Boston Globe, 10/22/09)
- Video 'Disabled' firefighter in bodybuilding contest
- Firefighters' ad campaign skewers Menino
- Chart Boston firefighters on injury pay
- 06/30/09 Firefighters on disability leave race to retire
- 1/7/08 Some find way to boost pensions
- 4/18/08 City officials blast firefighters
- 7/14/08 On injury leave, he stood out as a bodybuilder
- 1/11/08 Fire Dept. disability backlog costs city
THE DEVELOPMENTS
- 4/17/08 US probes disability abuse
- 7/19/08 Bodybuilding firefighter is ordered back to work
- 7/27/08 Firefighter files vanish as FBI looks into claims
- 7/23/08 Lawyer defends disability claim by firefighter
- 8/2/08 Pension board official to retire
- 8/5/08 Firefighter's disability application is rejected
- 8/19/08 Doctor in Arroyo case is linked to 2d claim
- 8/22/08 Arroyo denied reinstatement bid
- 8/25/08 Ex-firefighter says he feels 'betrayed'
- 9/19/08 Audit set for city's processing of disability claims
- 11/3/08 Boston police arrest ex-firefighter
- 11/4/08 Restraining order details complaint about Arroyo
- 11/05/08 Ex-firefighter pleads not guilty to charges
Maintenance problems in the department
(Globe Staff/David L. Ryan)
Firefighters held their helmets over their hearts as Lieutenant Kevin M. Kelley's body was lifted into an ambulance.
- 1/10/09 Horrific crash kills firefighter
- 1/11/09 Crash survivors fault the brakes
- 1/13/09 Chief says routine for firetrucks falls short
- 1/15/09 Three more fire vehicles pulled out of service
- 1/16/09 Menino orders Fire Dept. to hire mechanics
- 1/21/09 Firetruck failed test
- 2/5/09 Lack of payment idles new hub firetrucks
- 2/6/09 Another firetruck had faulty brakes
- 3/6/09 Report calls for hiring firetruck inspectors
- 3/12/09 Report blasts city firetruck maintenance
- 5/16/09 New fire safety chief fired for absenteeism
Substance abuse among the ranks
(Globe Staff / Wendy Maeda)
Mayor Thomas Menino speaks to reporters about the deadly fire in West Roxbury on Aug. 29, 2007.
THE STORIES THAT STARTED IT
Autopsies find alcohol, drugs
One of two firefighters who died fighting a fire in a Chinese restaurant was legally intoxicated at the time, and the other had cocaine in his system, officials said. (Boston Globe, 10/4/07)
THE DEVELOPMENTS
- 12/1/07 Panel convened by Menino urges firefighter wellness program
- 2/22/08 Panel, commissioner clash on impairment in fire deaths
- 7/9/08 '07 fire inquiry stuck in neutral
'Tradition Unimpeded by Progress'
(Globe Staff / Suzanne Kreiter)
Boston Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser Jr. talked with the press about reports dealing with the death of two fire fighters in 2007.
Studies bring little change
The City of Boston has not adopted dozens of recommendations to overhaul the Fire Department proposed since 1994, costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. (Boston Globe, 10/22/07)
- 12/14/07 Fire Dept. reform committee falls apart
- 2/7/08 Fire union airs gripes before the City Council
- 3/31/08 Amid bitter divisions, fire chief presses on
- 6/19/08 Fire test shared from memory
- 8/21/08 Fire official pleads not guilty to rape
- 8/22/08 Police impeded in rape probe of fire chief
- 8/28/08 Deputy fire chief held in rapes accused by 3 additional women
- 9/11/08 Deputy fire chief accused of rape resigns, seeks pension
- 9/16/08 Boston firefighter faces DWI charge in crash
- 9/17/08 Firefighter charged with assault; man critical
- 9/21/08 Man involved in fight with firefighter dies
A grease fire at the Tai Ho
(Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe)
More than 100 firefighters responded to a fire at a West Roxbury restaurant Aug. 29, 2007. A 3-ton air-conditioning unit partially crashed through the roof.
Federal report criticizes
BFD in fatal 2007 fire
A federal agency has criticized the Boston Fire Department in a report on the restaurant fire in West Roxbury in which two firefighters died. (Boston Globe, 10/11/09)
2 firefighters die, 12 others hurt
Two firefighters were killed as flames rushed through a restaurant in West Roxbury. (Boston Globe, 8/30/07)
- 8/31/07 Fire site had code violations
- 9/7/07 Fire's fuel apparently missed
THE DEVELOPMENTS
- 6/12/08 Former wife, widow suing
- 7/28/08 Fire marshal wants stricter rules on grease