Bravest left breathless
Firefighter hired after 9/11 blames toxic dust for his illness
HELEN PETERSON
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
A HUNKY firefighter who joined the FDNY in 2002 is suing the city for breathing troubles he says are linked to toxic dust at Ground Zero.
Bundy Chung, Mr. February in the FDNY's 2005 Calendar of Heroes, contends he developed asthma after being assigned to the Engine 10 firehouse directly across from the World Trade Center site. The suit charges lower Manhattan firehouses and equipment weren't properly decontaminated after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Chung has been on light duty since failing a pulmonary function test during a departmental physical last March, according to his lawyer Michael Barasch.
"He's scared as hell," Barasch said. "He always dreamed of being a firefighter. He passed the test. He waited on the list, and on his first assignment, he gets so sick that his career may be in jeopardy."
Chung, who is in his 20s, "was diagnosed with multiple injuries due to the inhalation and exposure of the toxic contaminants present in the defendant city's firehouses and on... fire engines," according to the lawsuit, filed last week in Manhattan Supreme Court.
He faces a risk of developing cancer and cardiopulmonary and respiratory problems, the court papers say.
"What is interesting about this case is that this kid did not become a firefighter until after the World Trade Center fires were out, and he sustained the same injuries as other firefighters who worked at Ground Zero,"
Barasch said Chung was appointed to the department on Jan. 27, 2002, and was assigned to Engine 10, which at that time was housed on Duane St. because the terror strike rendered its original firehouse unusable. Engine 10 moved back to the Liberty St. firehouse across from Ground Zero in November 2003.
"That is when he started coughing a lot, having shortness of breath," Barasch said. Four months later, after an FDNY physical, it was determined that Chung had asthma.
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"There are very successful lawyers with asthma," Barasch added, "but you cannot be a firefighter with asthma."
A city spokeswoman declined to comment on the lawsuit. The FDNY did not return a call seeking comment.
ENGINE 10 RESPONDS TO NEW YORK POST'S BUNDY BASHING
As many of you are aware, Firefighter Bundy Chung recently filed a lawsuit against the City of New York alleging that his respiratory injuries were caused by the City's failure to properly clean the quarters of Engine 10 before reopening it in November of 2003. The New York Post published both an article and an editorial with respect to the matter that bordered on slander. The following is a response from members of "10 House" that the Post chose not to publish:
"In response to your [the Post's] editorial on March 24 th, the officers and Firefighters of Engine 10 on Liberty Street, were outraged by your portrayal of FF Chung as a "phony"phony".
Contrary to your statements, several firefighters and officers from Liberty Street have suff ered from respiratory ailments. FF Chung's respiratory condition was discovered during an FDNY mandated annual medical exam. As recently as February, one of our members was removed when his exam revealed a respiratory condition.
As to your claim that "no one else has noticed contamination contamination", nothing could be further from the truth. The FDNY, Community Board 1, DEP, ECB, URA, TWU, Mt. Sinai Hospital, and several independent testing firms have been monitoring the area and the Tenhouse for years. The current estimate for decontamination and removal of the Deutsche Bank Building, our next door neighbor, has doubled due to the contamination in and around it. Clearly, others have noticed.
As you noted, FF Chung is an athlete and bodybuilder, he passed a rigorous medical review and excelled in his fight academy class. Yet within two years, the same medical office that deemed him fit to serve has ordered him off the line.
The most egregious accusation is to suggest that FF Chung profaned the memory of our fallen brothers. He is not seeking to profit from 9/11 or the City. His aim was and is to return to firefighting duty and rejoin his unit. FF Chung's work ethic, professionalism and commitment to help his fellow New Yorkers is in keeping with all of our best traditions."
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