FDNY chief forced to retire, lawsuit contends
New York — A New York City Fire Department chief who oversaw a fireboat involved in a fatal East River crash last year has been forced to turn in his retirement papers, court papers reveal.
Chief Richard Blatus was FDNY’s acting chief of operations at the time of the June 17, 2022, incident that took the life of Johnny Beernaert, a Belgian firefighter aboard the fireboat Marine 1 Bravo on a tour in the East River.
A month after the crash, Blatus was moved to another position. He eventually put in papers for his retirement, which sources said took formal effect Thursday.
A lawsuit filed by a group of FDNY chiefs and Daily News sources say Blatus, 63, was browbeaten into retirement by the Fire Department.
Blatus, 63, is not a plaintiff in the lawsuit by high-ranking chiefs who claim they were harassed, maligned and ultimately demoted because they were too old in Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh’s eyes. But his retirement highlights tactics used to get older FDNY chiefs to retire, say sources and legal papers.
The lawsuit, filed March 23, also alleges that the nighttime fireboat joyride that took Beernaert’s life was initiated by a retired FDNY captain who “activated FDNY’s Marine 1 Bravo and took civilians on a ride without authorization.” The captain had retired from the department before the crash, sources said.
A source with knowledge of the case confirmed that the retired captain cajoled an active FDNY member to pilot the boat, but never asked anyone of a higher rank for permission to take the vessel out.
Beernaert, his wife, the retired FDNY captain and the captain’s wife were on a nighttime ride on the East River aboard Marine 1 Bravo when the fireboat collided with a charter boat, the Honcho, near Pier 11.
Beernaert suffered a head injury in the crash and died at Bellevue Hospital. His wife, Heidi Vermandel, was not injured.
The retired FDNY captain and his wife, who were also on the boat, weren’t harmed.
An FDNY source with knowledge of the case claims the FDNY boat pilot wasn’t to blame, as the bow of the charter boat hit the stern of the fireboat on the port side.
The department confirmed that an on-duty firefighter was piloting the boat and had passed all drug and alcohol tests.
After the crash, the FDNY dry-docked four Marine 1 Bravo fire officers — the firefighter who piloted the vessel, a lieutenant, a captain and a battalion chief — by pulling them from regular duties and giving them administrative jobs.
The firefighter, lieutenant and battalion chief were still anchored to their desks Friday, FDNY officials said. The captain had been moved to another unit.
No one has been disciplined as the FDNY awaits the results of an investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has not responded to The News’ queries about the status of the probe.
A source with knowledge of the case said the department also wants to handle any lawsuits that come from the crash before meting out any punishment.
Before the crash, Blatus had questioned a few decisions by Kavanagh, who was acting fire commissioner from February 2022 until Mayor Eric Adams officially made her the first woman fire commissioner in the FDNY’s history in October.