Closing of 4 Companies formally announced

[Bulldog]

The 45 day notification for the closure of 3 engine companies in 1 truck company was announced today.


Here's the story:
 
FDNY Makes Firehouse Closures Official
............ 
Courtesy of WABC-TV

NEW YORK -- The FDNY gave four fire companies and the communities they serve 45 days notice that the department plans to permanently close them as early as next month.

The four companies reportedly received the mandatory 45-day notice, meaning the FDNY can close them as soon as June 22.

The notifications of closure were made to the local community boards, City Council members and borough presidents' offices.

The companies notified of closure are:

Engine 161 on Staten Island
Engine 4 in Manhattan
Engine 271 in Brooklyn
Ladder 53 in the Bronx

The companies slated to close share their firehouses with either a ladder or an engine company, and those will remain open.

Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta is expected to testify on the cuts and the FDNY budget at a City Council hearing today.

The hearing starts at 10 a.m. at City Hall and will address proposed firehouse closings in the mayor's budget.

Several Council members have said they would not approve any budget if it required closing fire companies.

 

[FDNYE54]

DAM

 

[baileyjeff]

Are there enough city council members agreeing to not aprove the budget if it includes firehouse closures?

 

[nfd2004]

The closing of Ladder 53 means a 10 minute response for the next ladder to the far end of City Island. Thats a real long time if you"re the guy in trouble. I believe that the FDNY Union President stated that after the announcement was made.

 

[anesti]

bear with me i hear the mayor wants the 5th man on those 60 engines for the closures. Why wont the union consider this? i understand the 5th man engine company are in busy residential areas and are needed for the stretches in the hallways of buildings but isnt enough manpower in scene already, especially when you get 4 engines 3 trucks on a 10-75 and 8 out of 10 all hands a battalion or deputy always asks for a extra 1 and 1. anyway my point begin and yes i understand people not wanting to give in to anybody but as a nyc resident id rather the nearly 20 company's that are begin threatened to be closed be kept opened  as opposed to losing 20 companys just so other engines can keep the 5th man.

 

[baileyjeff]

Well the Unions are not even considering giving up the 5th man. So what can we do as NYC residents, as far as I know nothing!

 

[mac8146]

If we lose the 5th man in engines then what is next for us 4 man trucks, the 5th man is contractual and must not be given away. Having an extra body during the intial stretch before those 2nd, 3rd or 4th engine arrives may make the difference between 1 room or total gut of an apartment with extension. Let those community boards and people fight for what they pay taxes for, do not give up safety manpower or contracted items.

 

[mmattyphoto]

A study was done years ago by FDNY that said it takes twice as long to get a hose line in place with 4 men then with 5 men. Chief Vinnie Dunn did the study for the FDNY.

 

[nfd2004]

  YES, I remember that study.

 

[tl-ff]

Well the Unions are not even considering giving up the 5th man. So what can we do as NYC residents, as far as I know nothing!

The 5th Man is a safety concern with us that's why we won't give it up. The reason 3 and 4 engines are assigned are because they don't have the 5th man.  There is also the fact that during the financial crisis of the 70's the union did give up the 5th man to help the city with the promise of companies not being closed. However the city went against their word and still closed companies and layed men off as well.

When the city is doing good financially, civil service doesn't see any benefits. When the city is hurting civil service takes a beatin.

As a NYC resident what you can do is be active in your community board and refuse to accept cuts in safety services. We're in a fiscal crisis but yet so many city run projects are proceeding as planned. Do we really need to re-direct traffic and install bike lanes and non-estential beatification projects? Don't get me wrong I'm all for building parks on unused property, but is giving up safety worth a park?

 

[mmattyphoto]

Also as NYC residents maybe you should be after the mayor to stop the duplication of services. I'm sure it would save money and never have to close co's.

 

[CVILLE7111]

Hmmmmm...  I wonder how many NYPD ESU cuts are being made?

 

[baileyjeff]

Why does the city need so many police stations? Why can the city not combine police stations?

 

[efd274]

Bottom line - let's hope cooler heads prevail and something can be worked out before this action is instituted.  Losing the ladder company on City Island is beyond the pale - I know the run numbers are relatively low but the time for a truck to get their on a first alarm (10 minutes according to another post) is truly unacceptable. Everybody loses if there are significant closures with added response times. The critical issue is protection of life - the loss of one room or the total gut of an apartment while important is insignificant when we have a 10-45 code 1