FDNY firefighters played an integral role in foiling a possible terrorist attack in Times Square on May 1 when they used their thermal imaging camera to help discover a home-made car bomb.
"They did exactly what they should have done that night." Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano said yesterday at a press conference at Engine 54 and Ladder 4 in Manhattan.
The chain of events that led to the discovery began around 6:30 p.m. when street vendor Lance Orten noticed smoke coming from the vehicle alerted and told a mounted NYPD officer. The officer then notified the FDNY of a possible car fire.
Firefighters said they saw white smoke inside the vehicle and then flashes that "looked like fireworks."
"It didn't seem right from the beginning," Lt. Mike Barvels from Engine 54 said during the press conference. "It just didn't look right."
They then used their thermal imaging camera and found heat in the front of the car, but not in the back and determined this was not a normal car fire.
The firefighters knew something was wrong and at that point called for the NYPD's Emergency Services Unit to have the vehicle's Connecticut license plates run.
"We put together pieces of the puzzle and said, 'Let's stand back until we get more information,' " Lt. John Kazan from Ladder 4 said. "Everything was a little clue saying something wasn’t right."
Firefighters had a hoseline ready and helped keep the forming crowd of civilians from getting near the vehicle. The NYPD's Bomb Squad soon responded and the situation was diffused without injury.
Because of the firefighters' efforts, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said they preserved evidence and helped the police catch the would-be bomber.
"(The firefighters) are role models for all of us," Bloomberg said. "We should all be thanking them for their deft and professional response."
