Four firefighters were suspended yesterday for a month without pay and face departmental charges arising from a New Year's Eve brawl at their Staten Island firehouse that a new report says was fueled by a pot of sangria, a case of beer and an argument over the date of Elvis's birthday.
The report, which was released yesterday, details on-duty drinking and a cover-up in which some of the men would admit only to seeing "red liquid with fruit" or "a golden liquid."
Criminal and departmental charges had already been filed against Firefighter Michael R. Silvestri, who is accused of hitting Firefighter Robert Walsh in the face with a metal chair that night. Firefighter Walsh will also be suspended and served with administrative charges when he returns from medical leave, Fire Department officials said yesterday.
The announcement of the new suspensions and charges, against Lt. Gregory L. McFarland, Lt. Raymond G. Kane, Firefighter Joseph Spitalieri and Firefighter David P. Johnsen, followed the release of the report by the city's Department of Investigation. It detailed how a boozy celebration of the holiday and a successful fire run became a frenzied cover-up after the fight at the station in Tottenville.
The report, prepared at the request of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, also recounts some of the firefighters' past history of alcohol-related incidents both on and off duty and suggests that the department more closely scrutinize employees when they are arrested, especially on such charges.
According to the report, the trouble on Dec. 31 started as the shifts were changing between 5 and 6 p.m. for the Engine 151 and Ladder 76 companies.
Ending his own shift in charge of the station, Captain Terrence Sweeney sent Firefighter Walsh out to buy beer for the firehouse, the report said. He returned with about 30 cans, which were then placed in a black plastic garbage bag in a courtyard behind the station house.
Mr. Sweeney, who was later demoted, forced to retire and fined about $90,000, has admitted that he and Firefighter Walsh drank some of the beer in the kitchen with other firefighters.
Firefighter Silvestri, meanwhile, had come into the kitchen, near the start of his shift, where he used a wooden spoon to stir up the pot of sangria, a libation he had prepared for his station-mates in the past, according to the report. He and Firefighter Walsh had an argument that began with a disagreement over the date of Elvis Presley's birth (Jan. 8, 1935) and quickly escalated into a battle so personal that some firefighters left the room in discomfort.
At some point, Mr. Silvestri threatened to hit Firefighter Walsh with a chair and Firefighter Walsh responded that he would "pay" to see him do it, according to the report. So he hit him, witnesses said, and the two men struggled to the floor. Mr. Sweeney and Mr. Kane separated them.
Firefighter Silvestri then went upstairs and burst into tears, the report said. Yesterday, he was formally arraigned on felony assault charges in State Supreme Court on Staten Island. Standing before the judge in a black suit, a dark gray shirt and dark tie, he appeared somber as he pleaded not guilty, but later appeared to weep in the hallway, where he was comforted by his fiance
