Fire Critic An Unadulterated View of the Fire Service
FDNY responded to more than 500,000 emergencies in 2010. This is a new record for the department. FDNY continues to be the busiest department in the United States.
Meanwhile, the Mayor has proposed decreasing the manpower on engine companies and creating a 20 fire company brownout during the evening.
Listen in as Steve Cassidy, the President of the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater NY, discusses the cuts. Captain Al Hagan, the President of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association also talks on the issue.
NEW YORK’s BRAVEST SHATTER RECORD:
GREATEST NUMBER OF EMERGENCIES IN FDNY HISTORY
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Firefighters Surpass 500,000 Emergencies for the 1st Time in FDNY’s 145 Years
Over the Christmas weekend New York City Firefighters surpassed their 500,000th emergency response for the year 2010, shattering a threshold that many emergency management professionals across the nation thought could never be reached. The FDNY is the busiest fire department in the United States.
With the 500,000th emergency this year, 2010 becomes the busiest year in the 145-year history of the FDNY. The previous record was 490,767 in 2007.
“In 2010 New York City Firefighters responded to more emergencies than any year in the history of the department. Additionally the last five years (2005-2010) have been the busiest in the history of the FDNY,” said Steve Cassidy, UFA President.
New York City Firefighters respond to fires, explosions, gas leaks, medical emergencies, building collapses, scaffold rescues, serious vehicle accidents and extractions and terror threats. New York City Firefighters are also trained as the city’s first line of defense responding to chemical, radiological, biological and nuclear threats (CRBN).
Cassidy added, “Since 2005 emergency calls have been up significantly and firefighters have gotten the job done even while the mayor has continued to slash the FDNY budget. The record number of emergency responses show that New Yorkers are more reliant on the protections provided by New York City Firefighters than ever before, and that the FDNY is the first place they turn to in an emergency.”
The surge in demand for FDNY protections also comes at the same time Mayor Bloomberg is proposing to shut 20 firehouses at night in 2011. These firehouses would be closed for the longest shift of the day for firefighters (15 hours) and when approximately 70 percent of fatal fires occur.
“Even as fire companies are working around the clock through one of the worst snowstorms in the history of the city, the Fire Department will set a new record of annual responses of more than 500,000 calls for help. There is a lesson for the city fathers to ponder. They can’t close 20 fire companies for 15 hours every night and expect the same level of critical, essential services that the city’s 8.5 million people expect and deserve,” said Captain Alexander Hagan, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association.
