Taking action

April 9, 2014

And tonight, NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, wasting little time after one of his officers died in an apartment building fire when he and his partner took the elevator to the 13th floor, doing exactly what he said he would do two days ago. He's ordered a new policy about what officers should do when they get to a fire. And they are NOT supposed to take the elevator.

If they have to - they should stop 2 floors below the blaze.

The new NYPD policy mirrors the FDNY policy.

Good for the Commissioner and perhaps the death of officer Dennis Guerra will help prevent another tragedy. When Guerra and his partner, who is still in critical condition, got out of the elevator in Coney Island, Brooklyn, they were hit by a wall of smoke and poisonous carbon monoxide. They were quickly overcome, and were dragged from the scene by firefighters, who had taken the stairs.

Meanwhile, there are reports of the NYPD today having a fire training session, with mock smoke, at an apartment building on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Bratton is on the job - and moving fast. Good for him. We'll have the latest tonight at 11 on the new policy - and another fire today involving cops overcome with smoke inhalation, but this time, they're ok and they, too, saved some lives.

We'll also have any breaking news of the night, plus Meteorologist Lee Goldberg with his AccuWeather forecast, and Rob Powers with the night's sports.

I hope you can join Sade Baderinwa and me, tonight at 11.

BILL RITTER

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