Staten Island firefighters suing FDNY, NYC after being injured battling house fire

NEW YORK - Several Staten Island firefighters are suing the city and the FDNY, claiming that they were nearly killed battling a house fire last year.

Nearly two dozen firefighters were injured, several seriously, on February 17, 2023, while responding to a fire on Shotwell Avenue in the Annandale section of Staten Island.

RELATED: 22 firefighters hurt, 3 critically in Staten Island fire

Now, four firefighters are seeking a total of $80M from the city in the suit. 

The suit alleges that on the day of the fire, the nearest firehouse, Ladder Company 167, was closed due to firefighters undergoing medical exams as per FDNY policy, causing the response time to be impacted greatly.

The firefighters filing the suit say they needed more backup that day.

"Fortunately for me —- I was able to get out of there," said Lt. Bill Doody.

"22 firefighters were injured on that day," said Attorney Andreas Koutsoudakis. "It should never happen again."

In response to the suit, the FDNY said in a statement: "Firefighters have made countless sacrifices to keep New Yorkers safe, and we are deeply grateful for their efforts. After every incident that causes a serious injury, the FDNY conducts a review of the incident to work to improve the safety of all firefighters. Following this incident, FDNY made changes to protocols including a dispatch announcement to fire companies during a wind advisory issued by the National Weather Service and changes to dispatch operations to automatically backfill when a fire company is placed out of service. The case is under review."