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We told you earlier that official notice had gone out about the closings of three FDNY engines and a ladder come July 1. There was a protest at City Hall this morning about the cuts and a war of words between the union president and Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta.
Scoppetta testified that unless the union lets him cut staffing on 60 engines from five to four he will be forced to close 12 more companies before the end of the year. Uniformed Firefighters Association president Steve Cassidy says there are other cuts that can be made. Check out the links above.
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"Commissioner" Scopetta has made a career of working in political appointed positions in the City of N.Y. He is a "double dipper" who is collecting a large N.Y.C. pension from his prior appointed positions as well as a fat paycheck from his current position at FDNY.
He has told the media that FDNY Firefighters are unwilling to give up their contractually mandated minimum staffing because they want overtime.
The staffing in question is the mandatory staffing of 60 engine companies with five firefighters (including the motor pump operator) and an officer.
What the "commissioner" refuses to accept is that there are numerous areas in N.Y.C. where the lack of a fourth "backstep" firefighter severly hampers the ability of the first due engine to get the first line into operation. This is especially true in areas of N.Y.C. that have "H Type" apartment buildings. These buildings have enterances that are set far back from the street which require a long "hand stretch" just to get inside the front door. Then, if the fire is on the top floor at the far end of a wing, a tremendous amount of hose must be hand stretched ("H Type" apartments do not have standpipes or sprinklers) via sissor stairs to the fire apartment.
Clearly, the 'commissioner" as well as mayor bloomberg have NEVER experienced what it is like to arrive at a fire scene in the middle of the night hearing blood curdling screams from civilians who are trapped behind the fire and are facing the decision of death by fire or death by jumping six stories to the pavement below. FDNY Firefighters on the other hand experience this scenerio with unfortunate frequency.
The ability to get water on the fire quickly helps FDNY Firefighters to save numerous lives every year. SHAME on Scopetta and Bloomberg for trying to make the public believe that FDNY Firefighters care more about $$$ than they do about saving lives. Clearly, the commissioner and the mayor are the ones who are guilty of that!