Partnership Between Firefighters, Homeland Security Draws Concern

Critics said the strategy has the potential of changing the image of firefighters from heroes to another branch of the police department.

NBC San Diego | Nov 24, 2007

SAN DIEGO — A controversial partnership between firefighters and the Department of Homeland Security is getting under way in New York City.

According to a new terrorism and disaster preparedness strategy for the New York City Fire Department, firefighters have unique information-gatherering opportunities when they’re inside homes.

“The FDNY’s information-gathering potential is substantial,” the document said.

San Diego firefighters said they already do that to an extent.

“Looking for the weapons of mass destruction, the terrorist devices, things like that, as we go into fires is something we really already do,” Battalion Chief Mike Finnerty said.

The New York plan calls for firefighters to look for materials, equipment, literature and anything that may indicate a threat of terrorist activity and report it to the Department of Homeland Security.

The American Civil Liberties Union said the strategy infringes on people’s privacy rights. Firefighters shouldn’t be tasked to gather information, the ACLU said.

“You don’t want them being intelligence agents,” Mike German of the ACLU said.

However, many firefighters said they agree with the strategy. In the long run, it will be a good, because the information-sharing is supposed to go both ways, they said. Some intelligence information could get handed down to local authorities, allowing them to plan ahead.

“That allows our leadership to take in the intelligence, look at the impact it may have on us and then do some additional planning and put some more resources in place,” Finnerty said.

But critics said the strategy has the potential of changing the image of firefighters from heroes to another branch of the police department.