With the FDNY's much-maligned crash tax plan nixed, the department has millions of dollars to cut out of its budget which and unfortunately for the cash-strapped department that means once again closing firehouses. Though the mayor and the FDNY had been working on a list of which houses are on the block, they had been refusing to share it until the City Council forced their hand by threatening to subpoena the list. If you live in Brooklyn, you may want to double check your smoke alarms and fire extinguishers—eight of the 20 companies on the list are located in Kings County, four are in Queens, three are in the Bronx, another three are in Manhattan and two are on Staten Island.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is, understandably furious at the prospect of losing eight firehouses in his borough and promptly sent out a statement to that effect:
“I am flabbergasted that eight engine and ladder companies—nearly half of the 20 proposed closures citywide—are in Brooklyn. If there is any serious thought being given to closing these houses, it needs to be extinguished like a three-alarm fire. Just in the last week, Engine 284 in Dyker Heights—one of the companies on the hit list—assisted with an area fire and their quick response no doubt saved lives. I know we are experiencing challenging economic times, but the truth is, in Brooklyn we need the FDNY now more than ever. Brooklyn is growing by leaps and bounds, which means that in the coming years there will be an ever greater need for New York’s Bravest. It is our collective responsibility to ensure maximum safety for all of our residents—and that means no firehouse closings!”
None of the firehouses are necessarily going to close, but if they were do Bloomberg says it would save the department $55 million annually. Meanwhile, the FDNY says that the companies on the block were picked based on their workload, response times and the proximity of other fire companies.
Here is the full list of endangered firehouses:
E004 42 South St. Manhattan
E026 220 West 37th St. Manhattan
E046 460 Cross Bronx Expwy. Bronx
E060 341 East 143rd St. Bronx
E157 1573 Castleton Ave. Staten Island
E161 278 McClean Ave. Staten Island
E205 74 Middagh St. Brooklyn
E206 1201 Grand St. Brooklyn
E218 650 Hart St. Brooklyn
E220 530 11th St. Brooklyn
E233 25 Rockaway Ave. Brooklyn
E284 1157 79th St. Brooklyn
E294 101-20 Jamaica Ave. Queens
E306 40-18 214th Place Queens
E328 16-19 Central Ave. Queens
L008 14 North Moore St. Manhattan
L053 169 Schofield Ave. Bronx
L104 161 South 2nd St. Brooklyn
L128 33-51 Greenpoint Ave. Queens
L161 2929 W 8th St. Brooklyn