Coney Island

Fire union official: We could have saved Brooklyn cop

Could Dennis Guerra have been saved?

May 29, 2014 Associated Press
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A Fire Department union official says poor communication between police and firefighters was a factor in a police officer’s death at a Brooklyn fire.

Richard Alles (AL’-eez) of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association tells WNYC that firefighters didn’t initially know that two police officers were trapped at the fire scene.

Officers Dennis Guerra (GEHR’-uh) and Rosa Rodriguez became trapped in the fire at a Coney Island public housing complex.

Guerra died three days later. Rodriguez was released from the hospital last week.

A 16-year-old has been charged with murder.

Alles said Guerra could have survived if firefighters had known he was on the fire floor.

WNYC said an NYPD spokesman had no comment on Alles’ remarks.

FDNY spokesman Francis Gribbon called them “pure speculation.”

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