Long Island City is the fastest growing community in the nation and must have the necessary fire safety resources to accommodate population growth

NEW YORK--Today, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12) joined Jake Lemonda of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, Gerard Fitzgerald of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, local elected officials and community leaders to call for the reinstatement of FDNY Engine Company 261. Rep. Maloney has written a letter to Mayor de Blasio to call for the reinstatement of FDNY Engine Company 261 at its former location (see below).

The current building boom and population increase in Long Island City, as well as the new Cornell Tech and building on Roosevelt Island, makes it abundantly clear that Engine Company 261 must be reopened for the safety of the community. As the fastest growing community in the nation, Long Island City must be given adequate infrastructure and safety precautions designed to match its substantial growth.

At present, Ladder Company 116 does not have the resources to adequately respond to fires, while increasing population growth and traffic threatens to place an even larger strain on this firehouse. Restoring Engine Company 261 is crucial to ensuring that Long Island City has the equipment and personnel necessary to respond to fires in this increasingly dense community.

"We need to return Fire Engine 261 to what is already the fastest growing community in the nation" said Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney "I am proud to stand with Jake Lemonda of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association and Gerard Fitzgerald of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, as well as the wonderful elected officials that are committed to the safety and protection of Long Island City residents. Firefighters have been asked to do more and more with fewer resources, and as the disastrous 5 alarm fire in Sunnyside shows us, we cannot continue to put lives at risk. We must have an adequate number of personnel and equipment to serve this growing community- we need Fire Engine 261."

"The unions warned then Mayor Bloomberg that closing firehouses was short sighted and a danger to our citizens. Today we stand in the fastest growing community in NYC, both residential and commercial populations are exploding! The danger is that there is not adequate fire protection for this community and its citizens. Every community deserves adequate fire protection, E 261 should be re-opened immediately," said Jake Lemonda of the Uniformed Firefighters Association.

"Since Engine 261 closed, Long Island City has added thousands of new residents to Queens. Across the city, our firefighters are already doing more now with fewer resources than ever, and with Amazon coming into the neighborhood there is still no plan for a firehouse to serve this rapidly growing community," said Gerard Fitzgerald, President of the Uniformed Firefighters Association. "We're proud to stand today with Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney to tell New York's elected officials: Don't overlook the public safety needs of Queens residents. Reopening Engine 261 is crucial to keeping Queens safe."

"The Long Island City community needs more fire protection with the growing number of high rise apartments and the continued presence of industry side by side with hi-rise hotels and condos" said Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan. "Engine Company 261 must be reopened now to increase the safety and security of the growing population in our community."

"I join the community, the firefighters, my colleagues and fellow electeds, who are calling upon Mayor de Blasio to re-open FDNY Engine Company 261. At the same time that we are PAYING corporations like Amazon to come to Long Island City, it seems only reasonable that taxpayer supported resources that provide essential services, like the FDNY, be open and available to all citizens," said Assembly Member Rebecca A. Seawright.

"New York City has a poor track record of planning for major developments over the last twenty years which has resulted in historically low ratios of FDNY and EMS resources per capita. We don't want to repeat the mistakes made during the Bloomberg years when hundreds of thousands of people were lured into formerly industrial communities which had inadequate public infrastructure. FDNY companies and EMS stations provide the resources and response times necessary to ensure the wellbeing of residents and visitors. With this new Amazon campus we will see an influx of tens of thousands of employees plus exponentially greater numbers of vendors and visitors, the volume of which will rival a city the size of Syracuse, NY. It's imperative that Engine 261 in Long Island City be reactivated in order to support the explosive growth in population and commercial activity in the community," said Council Member Joe Borelli, Chair of the NYC Council's Committee on Fire & Emergency Management.

"It's long past time for Mayor de Blasio to reverse Mayor Bloomberg's ill-advised decision to close Engine Company 261 in Dutch Kills. Thousands of people have moved to Western Queens in the last decade and our brave firefighters are strained to capacity. Green-lighting the rapid development of our Long Island City community without providing the necessary infrastructure to sustain population growth is a threat to public safety. Engine Company 261 must be reinstated to protect our growing community and give it back the sense of comfort that comes with having our City's bravest right next door," said Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer.

"Over the last 5 to 7 years Long Island City and the communities around it have seen very rapid growth in population and an explosion in construction. New York City must respond to this reality and reinstate Engine Company 261 as soon as possible," said Council Member Ben Kallos. "The safety of New Yorkers in Queens should not fall victim to an old cost-cutting measure we all knew was a bad idea when it was implemented. I fully support the men and women of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association and the Uniformed Firefighters Association demanding that Engine Company 261 is reinstated. Common sense and our City's obligation to put safety first must prevail here. Thank you to Congress Member Maloney for calling attention to this issue and working to get it solved."

Background:

* FDNY Engine Company 261 was housed with FDNY Ladder Company 116 until 2003, but was closed as Bloomberg era cost-cutting measure. The 22 members of Engine Company 261 were transferred to other units.

* Engine Company 261 served Roosevelt Island as well, which has seen a population explosion of its own with the construction of Cornell Tech and several new apartment buildings.

* Ladder Company 116 continues to use the station where Engine Company 261 had been co-located so it would take very little investment to return Engine Company 261 to its original location.

* Long Island City is the fastest growing community in the nation. The development of projects and sites along the waterfront will bring a large influx of workers and residents to the area, which requires upgrades to infrastructure and fire safety measures.

* Engine Companies provide water and hoses to fight fires. Ladder companies are responsible for search and rescue and ventilation (making holes in roofs and windows), but lack the equipment to put out a fire. Without an Engine Company, Ladder Company 116 lacks the equipment and personnel to fight fires adequately and relies on engine companies from a full half a mile away to put out fires. FDNY has broken its run record for five consecutive years and unit availability is at an all-time low.

According to FDNY statistics, in 2017, Queens had the worst response times in the city - 4 minutes and 36 seconds to respond to a structural fire - Brooklyn, with the best response time was nearly a minute faster at 3 minutes and 43 seconds. 2017 was a particularly deadly year, with fire deaths up 50% over the previous year.

Maloney's letter to Mayor de Blasio is set forth below:

December 14, 2018

The Honorable Bill de Blasio

Mayor of the City of New York

City Hall

New York, NY 10007

Dear Mayor de Blasio,

I am writing to urge you to reinstate FDNY Engine Company 261, which was housed with FDNY Ladder Company 116 at 37-20 29th St. until 2003, when the Bloomberg Administration decided to close Engine Company. Since that time there has been a building boom in the community and a population explosion in Long Island City. What's more, with the expected arrival of Amazon and the development of many sites along the waterfront, there will be a huge influx of workers and residents to the community. For the safety of the community, Engine Company 261 must be reopened.

Long Island City is the fastest growing community in the nation. Unfortunately, the growth has not been matched with infrastructure improvements. One of the key concerns raised by the community is that basic needs for fire, sewage, schools, transportation and parks are being neglected while residential and commercial development is being green-lighted. The result is infrastructure that is at risk of failing. When fire safety is an issue, lives are being put at risk.

Since Ladder Company 116 continues to use the station house where Engine Company 261 had been co-located, it would take very little investment to return Engine Company 261 to its original home. At present, Ladder Company 116 lacks the equipment and personnel to fight fires adequately and has to rely on engine companies from elsewhere in the community to respond to fires. I am told that the nearest Engine Company is a full half mile away. This is inefficient and could potentially put lives in peril. In a community with increasing traffic and increasing numbers of residents and workers, this creates a growing risk to safety. Across the city, firefighters have been asked to do more with fewer resources. I understand that the FDNY has broken its run record for five consecutive years, and unit availability is at an all-time low.

I urge you to restore Engine Company 261 to its station house. We cannot afford to put lives at risk in this increasingly dense community.

Very truly yours,

CAROLYN B. MALONEY

Member of Congress

Read this original document at: https://maloney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/maloney-fire-unions-local-officials-and-community-leaders-call-for