FDNY Night-Tour Cuts Roasted by UFA Head; Five Units Affected

The Fire Department Dec. 4 announced suspension of night tours for five fire units, including ending all permanent fire-response presence at Governor's Island, in an effort to reduce the department's budget by saving on overtime.

The Chief-Leader/Adrienne Haywood James LIGHTS OUT FOR SLEEPY COMPANIES: Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta explained that the four companies slated to end night tours and the soon-to-be eliminated unit at Governor's Island were the most under-utilized in the city, and that the communities will be served by nearby firehouses. Looking on are Chief of Department Salvatore Cassano, left, and Chief of Operations Patrick McNally.

Speaking to reporters at the FDNY's Brooklyn headquarters, Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said that three Engine Companies and one Ladder Company will cease night-time operation while the corresponding Ladder and Engine Companies in the same house will continue along with other response from firehouses within a one-mile radius.

But Uniformed Firefighters Association President Steve Cassidy said the cutback "compromises public safety and threatens civilian and firefighter lives."

STEVE CASSIDY: Wrong time to cut night-time tours.

 

 

 

 

 

Spread Through 4 Boroughs

The companies that will end night tours on Jan. 17 are Engine Co. 4 in lower Manhattan, Engine Co. 161 in Staten Island, Engine Co. 271 in Brooklyn and Ladder Co. 53 on City Island in The Bronx. Mr. Scoppetta said that the department would staff Governor's Island for special events and respond to evening fires with the nearby Marine Units.

Mr. Scoppetta insisted that the department chose ending these particular night tours, which start at 6 p.m. and end at 9 a.m. the next day, because they were the least busy in the city.

The change will result in a less-than 1-percent reduction in staffing, the Commissioner said. Firefighters and fire officers assigned to those night tours will either be reassigned to other houses where they are needed or will at times staff night tours at the companies where they are to be ended. The department expects an eventual $8.9-million per-year savings because of the change due to reducing overtime hours.

"We are slightly over head count," Mr. Scoppetta said in terms of the firefighting force. "The full savings won't be realized until the head count comes down a little."

'Least-Active Truck Co.'

Mr. Scoppetta explained that the department evaluated all the companies on the basis of how many and what kind of incidents they responded to. In the case of Ladder Co. 53, he noted that it had the fewest number of responses in every category.

"That is the least active truck in the city," he said.

For Governor's Island, he said that ending the permanent three-member unit would not greatly reduce fire coverage because it has no permanent residences and few structures that could lead to large-scale fires.

The night-tour reduction was spurred by Mayor Bloomberg's call on agencies to reduce their budgets in response to the general economic downturn. The department is also cutting spending by cutting training for Probationary Firefighters from 23 to 18 weeks.

Mr. Cassidy denounced the planned tour cuts, saying in a statement, "According to the Fire Department's own data, in the last four years New York City Firefighters have responded to the most emergency calls in the history of the FDNY, and the trend continues to increase. In this post 9-11 world the FDNY's expanded responsibilities to protect New Yorkers can not be accomplished by service reductions. More fatalities happen at night than any other time of day. Closing companies compromises public safety and threatens civilian and firefighter lives."

Scoppetta Cites Improvements

Mr. Scoppetta deflected this criticism, saying that response times have improved in the last six months due to a new dispatch system designed to get fire trucks out of their houses more quickly and because there has been a dramatic reduction in civilian fire deaths in the last seven years.

"We're on track to continue that trend this year," he said.

A statement from the Uniformed Fire Officers Association was more muted than Mr. Cassidy's, saying: "Budgetary reductions will have to take place across the board. The announced service reductions will require public comment in the next few weeks and the UFOA is fully prepared to testify when called upon."

Councilman James Vacca, who represents the 4,500 residents of City Island, also blasted the cut, saying that constituents called his office in outrage. He added that the nearest company to provide backup is off the island 10 minutes away.

Traffic Delays Feared

"That 10 minutes could be even more if the traffic situation is a bad one, which it often is," Mr. Vacca said, noting that in the summer many people drive on a two-lane road to patronize seafood restaurants on the island.

The Councilman said that he would work with the Bronx Borough President to prevent the end of the City Island company's Ladder Company's night tour.

"For a Ladder Company to make it on, it has to go over two bridges, and one is a drawbridge," he said. "Whoever conceived of this cut, I feel, does not realize the uniqueness of City Island."