FDNY union speaks out against proposed cuts to department's budget

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Citizen video of last week’s fire at The Renwick Hotel on Manhattan’s East Side, drawing the attention of onlookers in neighboring buildings.

The FDNY managed to put out the flames in the kitchen - before the fire spread to hotel guest rooms or the connected building right next door.

Moses, who’s worked here for the last 27 years, said the damage could have been much worse.

“I’m not going back there because it’s a lot of smoke and all that,” said Moses.

PIX11 News asked Moses to weigh in on newly announced budget cuts – triggered by the costly migrant crisis - which would reduce the number of firefighters working for an engine company from five to four.

It’s a move that would affect about 10% of the FDNY’s engine companies, which are responsible for hooking up the heavy hoses and getting water on a fire.

“Of course it’s a concern. I think we should have even more – not less. Because if an emergency happens, you need more, you need more manpower,” said Moses.

On Monday the Uniformed Firefighters Association’s President blasted the Adams Administration’s decision.

“The engine companies that are losing staffing are among the busiest in the city. This will make surviving a fire even harder for residents trapped by a fire. By the FDNY’s own studies, they show that having the fifth firefighter in an engine company can cut the time it takes to put water on the fire by 50%. in a job where seconds matter, this will undoubtedly cost minutes,” said Ansbro.

A City Hall spokesperson told PIX11 News:

In the face of significant fiscal challenges, this administration continues to balance the budget, just as the law requires, while simultaneously minimizing disruption to services.

The mayor has been clear that he will never do anything to put public safety at risk, and this temporary change, representing a small fraction of our engine companies, will not affect response times whatsoever or derail the FDNY from this mission to respond quickly to fires.

City Hall spokesperson

An overwhelming majority – about 90%, of the city’s engine companies already operate on four-person engine teams. But the UFA’s point is that for a department that is already understaffed and overworked – removing the department’s ability to slide that fifth roving firefighter over to another engine that needs help, especially on a big fire, will have a trickle-down effect on the performance of the entire department.