ENGINE'S RESCUED

Following numerous protests and appeals by firefighters and civic activists, Engine Co. 271 on the Ridgewood/Bushwick border in Brooklyn—which was slated to close in July— will remain open and in full service to the community.

The unit, located at 392 Himrod St., and three others across the city that were to be eliminated next month, will be spared under a budget agreement for the 2010 fiscal year announced on Monday night, June 15, by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

Reportedly, the tentative budget restores $17 million funding to the Fire Department to allow all four fire companies—which had been closed during overnight hours since January whenever necessary to reduce overtime costs for the agency—to operate normally.

The additional funding in the budget would also prevent the planned closure of 12 other companies around the five boroughs in January 2010, which was announced by Fire Department officials earlier this year.

The City Council has yet to finalize the agreement through a full vote; by law, the city has until June 30 to present a finalized fiscal year budget to the state. The budget also hinges on the passage of legislation by state lawmakers allowing the city to raise nearly $900 million in revenue, including an increase in the sales tax and the closing of certain tax loopholes.

News of the decision to spare Engine Co. 271 was welcomed by civic leaders as well as the area's representatives in the City Council. Michael Hetzer, vice president of the Citizens for a Better Ridgewood, noted that the civic group had made numerous appeals over the last several months to keep the company open, adding that the issue "was a matter of life and death" for many members.

"We're just thrilled that the neighborhood is safer in having this fire [company] back," Hetzer said in a phone interview with the Times Newsweekly. "I think everyone will sleep a little easier knowing that Engine 271 will be there for them" in the event of an emergency.

City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley hailed the restoration of FDNY funding as a victory for the Ridgewood and Bushwick communities, crediting all who campaigned to keep the engine company others opened across the city.

"During this brutal economic time, it has been up to the people and their elected representatives to fight for what matters," she said in a statement. "When the city was on the brink of closing 16 firehouses, we organized, we rallied and we made our voices loud and clear that we would not support a plan that would jeopardize our community's safety."

Also heralding the occasion was City Council Member Diana Reyna, whose office noted in a statement that the closure of Engine 271 could have been "a devastating blow in our district." She cited as one example in a letter to Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta a fire on Wyckoff Avenue while Engine 271 was out of service. That incident turned into a threealarm blaze which damaged three homes and left several families homeless.

"These dangerous closures and reductions were proposed despite the FDNY having just had its four busiest years in the Department's 145 year history," added Steve Cassidy, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association. "Had the City Council not won the restoration of funding, the cutbacks would have endangered firefighter and civilian lives. We commend the City Council for developing a budget that saves firehouses in 16 communities."

Spared from the chopping block

As the city and country became gripped by economic turmoil late last year, the Fire Department and all city agencies were ordered by Mayor Bloomberg in a revised budget proposal to reduce expenses by five percent for the 2009 fiscal year, and to prepare for further cutbacks in FY2010 in advance of a projected deficit of over $4 billion.

In December 2008, as previously reported in the Times Newsweekly, the FDNY announced that Engine Co. 271 and three other units—Engine Co. 4 in Manhattan, Ladder Co. 53 in the Bronx and Engine Co. 161 in Staten Island—would be closed between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. whenever necessary. Firefighters normally working the overnight shift at these companies were transferred to other units across the city to fill absences as needed. The change in service went into effect on Jan. 17.

According to the Fire Department, the measure saved the agency thousands in overtime costs, though those claims were disputed by community activists and unions representing firefighters.

Later in 2009, FDNY officials informed elected officials and civic leaders that Engine 271 and the other three companies closed during overnight hours would be permanently closed beginning in July after further cutbacks were ordered in the department's budget.

The agency also stated its intention to close 12 other companies across the city by next January due to budget reductions. The Times Newsweekly was provided by an unnamed source with knowledge of the situation with a document detailing the proposal, which involved the closure of three area companies; the FDNY denied the details of the plan.

The reported closures led to several protests and rallies organized by community activists and firefighters' unions, including a May 12 rally on the steps of City Hall. Queens Community Board 5 and Brooklyn Community Board 4 previously passed resolutions denouncing any closure (partial or full) of Engine Co. 271.

Community activists argued that the elimination of the engine company would have led to increases in response times to fire and medical emergencies in Engine 271's firstdue area.

They also charged that companies in nearby areas would also lose services of engine companies required to respond to incidents in the vicinity of Engine 271.