The push to keep fire companies open is heating up. On Friday, Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) held a rally at Long Island City’s Ladder 128 to protest it’s closure.
Van Bramer was joined at the Greenpoint Avenue firehouse by Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), the chair of the City Council Fire and Criminal Justice Committee, the Uniformed Firefighters Association and the Uniformed Fire Officers Association.
Van Bramer said closing Ladder 128 would result in seven-minute response times, well over the four-minute benchmark recommended by the National Fire Protection Association. This would negatively impact Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside, Maspeth and Brooklyn.
“In an emergency, every second saves lives,” Van Bramer said. “Allowing response times to skyrocket is simply unacceptable. The Mayor must reconsider this dangerous proposal.”
Crowley and other politicians noted that Ladder 128 was well situated to respond to potential terrorist attacks. With its close proximity to major tunnels and bridges as well as LaGuardia Airport, closing Ladder 128 could hamper the city’s response to emergency and terrorist attacks, she said.
Ladder 128 is one of 20 fire companies that are slated to close under Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed budget. Other companies in Queens include Engine Company 294 in Woodhaven, Engine Company 306 in Bayside and Engine Company 328 in Far Rockaway.
Northeast Queens leaders held a rally on Wednesday to save Engine Company 306. “Our city must learn to balance its budget by cutting bureaucracy and inefficiency, not by cutting essential services that save lives,” Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) said in a statement when he learned of the proposed cuts.
A similar rally will be held on Sunday, June 5 for Engine Company 294 on Jamaica Avenue. “The Mayor’s plan to close Engine 294 and other fire companies around the city is downright dangerous,” said Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park). “Response times will go up and lives will be put at risk.”
