NEW YORK — No civilians will be allowed to ride on New York City Fire Department fireboats unless the trip is approved by the department’s chief of fire operations, the FDNY said Friday — five months after a rogue fire boat trip ended in the death of a visiting Belgian firefighter.
The codified rules come as the estate of Sgt. Johnny Beernaert prepares to sue the city over the fatal June 17 East River crash, the Daily News has learned.
In a notice of claim filed with the city Comptroller’s office, attorneys for Beernaert’s estate say the department was “negligent in inviting and/or permitting civilians to ride as passengers” on Marine 1 Bravo, a 31-foot-long fireboat that docks in the Hudson River.
