Alfredo Palma works at Danny’s Cafe in Woodhaven Queens and says that two months ago he witnessed an explosion near his business.
“We lost power one day, we were half a day away from working and we couldn’t operate, we were without power and the firefighters had to come and contain the fire,” Palma said.
Palma says he does not agree with the city budget cuts that would eliminate the fifth firefighter or door firefighter in the 20 units that still have that position.
“I think that is a mistake, because to be honest, having fires is not something, anything. “You can’t give cuts to something so important when there are many people who could be affected.”
The door firefighter has a fundamental role as he is in charge of installing a hose as quickly as possible during a fire.
Palma.
The president of the union, Uniformed Firefighters Association, Andrew Ansbro, attributes the reduction in personnel to budget cuts by the Adams Administration due to the immigration crisis.
The city indicated that this is part of a contractual agreement. It stipulated that the fifth firefighter can be dispensed with when the annual percentage of members with medical leave exceeds 7.5 percent.
To which the union responded that this contract was signed in 1996 and that at that time there were proportionally more employees.
About 1,900 firefighters work daily in the five boroughs but the number of incidents has increased.
The cuts are announced at a time of year when home fires are on the rise.
Neighbor.
So far, in 2023, 100 people have died in accidents. Fires caused by lithium-ion batteries have claimed the lives of 18 New Yorkers.
Neighbors in the area ask for more resources.
“No, we need them and for them to provide more firefighters for the community,” said a neighbor.
The president of the union added that each year the number of fires in the city increases, however the number of personnel is decreasing, which makes the work more difficult and risky.
