By Michael V. Cusenza
A particularly horrific holiday weekend reignited the call to staff all City Fire Department engine companies to five firefighters.
“This past weekend was perhaps one of the busiest for our members throughout NYC. Working hard through the holiday weekend the members on duty did their best to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers,” the Uniformed Firefighters Association, which represents firefighters, fire marshals, marine engineers, pilots and wipers of the FDNY, posted to social media Tuesday.
“Saturday night, two fatal fires broke out in the Bronx with the first blaze occurring on the second floor of a five-floor building at 1210 Elder Ave. near Westchester Avenue and East 172nd Street at around 8:15 p.m.; and the second blaze occurring in a two-story home at 1226 Colgate Ave. Tragically, a life was lost at each fire. We send our condolences to the families of the victims, UFA leaders added.
Photo Courtesy of UFA
“This is a matter of life and death, as more staffing means quicker response times and more personnel to assist,” the UFA said.
“In Brooklyn on New Year’s Eve, an e-bike fire left two people, including a child, with serious injuries in East Williamsburg. When firefighters arrived, they found a man at the window with fire behind him. Crews then cut window gates and managed to get him out. That same night, another four-alarm inferno broke out at a Brooklyn apartment in East New York. Even though the building was ‘fire-proofed’, the blaze quickly spread, displacing 150 residents and putting an engine company out of service due to injuries sustained.
“Then [Monday] evening, a fire swept through a Staten Island home leading to a large response from firefighters to extinguish it. Tragically, a 7-year-old lost her life. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim.
“The fires prove yet again the importance of staffing the fifth firefighter on all engine company throughout New York City. This is a matter of life and death, as more staffing means quicker response times and more personnel to assist. As always, we thank all responding units for their hard work and dedication,” the UFA concluded.
The union has a vocal ally on the City Council.
“We ABSOLUTELY need the fifth firefighter on every engine in the FDNY,” Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) added on Twitter. “The decision to remove the fifth firefighter from our city’s engine companies is dangerous and puts the safety and well-being of every New Yorker at risk.”
