On the day of the FOSTER incident, PISANI was driving Engine 1, which is assigned to Station 1. JAY IACONE was also in the engine because he had switched duties for the day with Lieutenant BIANCHI. After being dispatched to the scene of a possible suicide in Fort Marcy Park, Virginia, PISANI drove Engine 1 to the park's parking area and met with personnel from Medic 1, which had also been dispatched to the scene from Station 1. There were no police on the scene when PISANI arrived, and no one was present to direct FCFRD personnel to the location of, the incident. The FCFRD personnel on the scene split into two groups to search for the scene of the possible suicide. PISANI's group was comprised of RICHARD ARTHUR from Medic 1, JENNIFER WACHA, IACONE, and PISANI. A second group, comprised of GEORGE GONZALES and COREY ASHFORD from Medic 1, went in another direction into the woods and eventually found the body which was later identified as that of FOSTER. PISANI's recollection is currently unclear, and he believes that TODD HALL may have been the driver of Medic 1.

As PISANI's group walked through the woods down toward the Potomac River, the members of the group observed a male and female in the woods. After the group received word that a patient had been located, PISANI's group reversed direction and returned initially to the parking lot before continuing to the patient's location. While returning to the parking area, the members of the group noted that the previously observed couple was still in the woods. PISANI later observed that the police were on the scene when the couple came out of the woods.

Once PISANI's group arrived at FOSTER's body, PISANI may have observed ARTHUR checking FOSTER's pulse, but no extraordinary measures were undertaken in an effort to resuscitate FOSTER. PISANI inquired about the whereabouts of a gun and he was standing approximately fifteen feet from FOSTER's body when ARTHUR pointed out what he said was a gun alongside FOSTER's body. PISANI did not actually see the gun when ARTHUR pointed it out. PISANI recalls that FOSTER was wearing a white shirt and dark suit trousers and that the body was on a trail.

After the members of PISANI's group determined that they could be of no further assistance with the patient, they returned to the parking area. PISANI looked into a small car in the lot and observed a jacket, which he assumed to belong to FOSTER since the jacket appeared to match the trousers worn by FOSTER. PISANI, IACONE and WACHA all looked into FOSTER's

automobile, but they did not try to open any of the doors. PISANI had observed one other automobile in the lot when he first arrived at the park, but he cannot recall any descriptive details.

PISANI recalls arriving at the park on the day of the incident in the late afternoon or perhaps as early as 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. He recalls that the weather was very warm, with a temperature possibly in the nineties and with high humidity of approximately 80%. There was still daylight when PISANI arrived at the park.

He

PISANI does not recall if the original radio dispatch to the units at Station 1 mentioned the use of a gun or not. learned from GONZALES that a gun was involved in the incident. PISANI did not hear any of the police officers on the scene describe the incident as a suicide.

After FOSTER was determined to be deceased, Engine 1 was put back into service and PISANI drove the engine from the

scene.

Normal practice at a scene such as the one in Fort Marcy Park calls for responding personnel to examine the body and use a heart monitor to check for any heartbeat in the victim. PISANI did not see the heart monitoring equipment used on FOSTER, but he notes that he was not present when the first FCFRD personnel arrived to examine the patient. In addition, the.. officer on the medic unit, who in this case was GONZALES, ̄would normally make a determination of the patient's viability. PISANI's job would be to assist the medic officer in whatever manner the officer asked. PISANI did not observe any peculiarities at the scene.

A total of four units from Station 1 responded to Fort Marcy Park for the FOSTER incident. PISANI drove Engine 1, which is a fire truck equipped with hoses and water for fighting fires, and was accompanied in the engine by IACONE. Truck 1, which is a fire truck equipped with an aerial ladder, was driven by VICTORIA JACOBS and was also staffed by Lieutenant BIANCHI as the truck officer and by ANDY MAKUCH in the bucket. Medic 1 was staffed by WACHA, who was the driver, GONZALES, the officer-in-charge, and ARTHUR. Ambulance 1 was staffed by ASHFORD as the officer-incharge and by a driver whose identity PISANI cannot presently recall. Due to the passage of time, PISANI is uncertain about

the specific assignments of his fellow FCFRD personnel on the day of the FOSTER incident.

PISANI believes that the FOSTER incident was handled routinely. Back at Station 1 and later on the night of the incident, Lieutenant BIANCHI called PISANI in and told PISANI that the victim in the incident had been FOSTER. BIANCHI said that there would probably be a major investigation since FOSTER had been employed at the White House. Both BIANCHI and IACOÑE filled out incident reports, which are on-line fire reports filed through entries on a computerized information system, i.e. no handwritten reports are generated. BIANCHI told PISANI that he had filed a narrative report regarding the incident. PISANI regards such narrative reports as routine in the case of a major incident. PISANI was not directed to file a report at that time, and he has not been directed to do so since that time.

PISANI has been told to keep his comments regarding the FOSTER incident to himself. He has read the comments of GONZALES and ASHFORD in the WASHINGTON POST newspaper, and he holds these individuals responsible for their remarks. PISANI has not received any instructions or coaching regarding his interview by the FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION. PISANI has not been threatened with losing his job if he discusses the FOSTER incident.

PISANI is unable to recall any other details of the FOSTER incident which he regards as either peculiar or unusual. He is not aware of any other facts or details which he feels could be important or useful to the interviewing agents.

WILLIAM JOSEPH BIANCHI was interviewed in the office of Chief GLENN A. GAINES, FAIRFAX COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE DEPARTMENT (FCFRD), 4100 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Virginia 22030. BIANCHI is a Fire Lieutenant assigned to Fire Station 1, 1455 Laughlin Avenue, McLean, Virginia, telephone number (703) 3566671. After BIANCHI was advised of the official identities of the interviewing agents and that the interview pertained to his knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the death of VINCENT W. FOSTER Jr. on July 20, 1993, BIANCHI furnished the following information:

As of January 1994, BIANCHI has served with FCFRD for 23 years. During the course of his employment with FCFRD, BIANCHI has served as a firefighter in Fairfax City when FCFRD provided fire services to that jurisdiction and as a driver. BIANCHI achieved the rank of sergeant in 1983 and the rank of lieutenant in 1986. BIANCHI attended the FCFRD basic firefighter school when it was an eight week course, and he has also attended schools in hazardous materials, technical rescue, below-grade rescue, and trench rescue.

BIANCHI estimates he has been to more than twelve suicide scenes during the course of his career with FCFRD. of these incidents, well over half or perhaps eight of the incidents involved gunshots. Most of these approximately eight suicides involving gunshots were incidents in which the gunshots were to the victim's head.

BIANCHI has had contact with the media regarding the death of FOSTER. On one occasion, a male reporter, name not recalled, from the WASHINGTON POST newspaper paged BIANCHI to a telephone number. When BIANCHI placed a return call in response to the page, the reporter began questioning BIANCHI about the appearance of the scene where FOSTER's body was located. BIANCHI immediately terminated the conversation with the reporter. In approximately January 1994, CHRISTOPHER RUDDY, a reporter for the NEW YORK POST newspaper came to Station 1 and asked for the officer-in-charge. RUDDY advised BIANCHI that he wanted to speak

This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of the FBI It is the property of the FBI and is loaned to your agency;

with FCFRD personnel who had been on the scene of the FOSTER incident, but BIANCHI referred RUDDY to the FCFRD Public Information Officer (PIO). BIANCHI is not aware of RUDDY speaking with anyone from FCFRD other than two individuals, GEORGE GONZALES and COREY ASHFORD, who were quoted in a subsequent article. Approximately three days after RUDDY appeared at Station 1, an article under RUDDY's byline appeared in the NEW YORK POST and included quotes from GONZALES and ASHFORD of FCFRD.

BIANCHI's understanding of the FCFRD press policy is that any reporters contacting BIANCHI should be referred to the FCFRD PIO, who will contact BIANCHI and provide approval, as appropriate, for BIANCHI to speak with the media.

On the day of the FOSTER incident, BIANCHI was riding on Truck 1 as the officer-in-charge. BIANCHI normally rode on Engine 1, but on that day he allowed Sergeant JAY IACONE to ride on the engine in his place since IACONE was on the promotion list to become a lieutenant and needed experience on the engine. Therefore, when a call was dispatched for a person shot at Fort Marcy Park, BIANCHI was not among the personnel who responded immediately since Truck 1 was not dispatched on the call. BIANCHI was at Station 1 when the FCFRD personnel who responded to the initial call later returned to the station. BIANCHI heard two people who had been on the call, possibly TODD HALL and RICK ARTHUR, say that it had been a strange incident. BIANCHI also heard from the returning FCFRD personnel that the victim was deceased and had been employed at the White House. In particular, IACONE already knew that the victim had been employed at the White House when he returned to Station 1. When BIANCHI learned that the victim was a White House employee, he instructed HALL and IACONE to make their reports on the incident very detailed.

On the day of the FOSTER incident, JIM SUTTON was scheduled to be the driver on Truck 1. However, SUTTON was injured earlier in the day and was replaced as the driver by VICTORIA JACOBS. ANDY MAKUCH and BIANCHI were the other personnel on Truck 1. Engine 1 was staffed by RALPH PISANI, IACONE, and one other individual, name not recalled, on the bucket of the engine. Medic 1 was staffed by TODD HALL as the driver, Sergeant GEORGE GONZALES as the officer-in-charge, and RICK ARTHUR in the back of the unit. Ambulance 1 was staffed by COREY ASHFORD as the Emergency Medical Technician and ROGER