Crew Deaths Prompt Call for NYC Firefighting Helo

The deaths of two New York City firefighters last month has fire union officials clamoring for a dedicated fire helicopter in that city. The two firefighters were killed Aug. 18 after they became trapped in a major fire at the Deutsche Bank building. The fire raged in part because the building’s water supply and sprinklers had been disrupted by demolition work. Adjacent to the former site of the World Trade Center and its twin towers, the building was abandoned because of damage from the towers’ collapse after terrorist attacks September 11, 2001. Union leaders charge the city’s fire commissioner is ignoring recommendations of top chiefs that a helicopter like Sikorsky Aircraft’s S-70 Firehawk would provide critical help in high-rise rescues and firefighting.      For related news