by Jessica Ablamsky
It could take longer for the New York City Fire Department to respond to emergency calls next year. City and state budget cuts would cause the closure of as many as 62 fire companies in the City.
Gov. David Paterson's budget proposal would slash $1.3 billion in aid to the City. If those cuts were distributed uniformly across all city agencies, it would equal a loss of 42 fire companies, said Marc LaVorgna, a spokesman for Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
Fire department staff are putting together a plan for how to deal with a loss of as much as $64 million in state funding, or 3.6 percent of their budget, which could help save some of those 42 companies.
The details of the plan are unavailable.
"Right now we don't want to get out there and comment on the specifics of something that is very theoretical, but right now the budget issues are very real," said FDNY spokesman James Long.
Unless City Council members restore funding from other parts of the City budget, cuts could still mean the loss of 20 fire companies, LaVorgna said.
Mayor Mike Bloomberg's budget for the current fiscal year sliced 16 companies from the FDNY budget. The Council restored that funding, but only for this year.
The mayor's budget for next year would decrease funding by an additional four companies.
Most of the fire department budget, 90 percent, is operations, including firefighters and apparatus, said FDNY spokesman Frank Dwyer.
"At some point," Dwyer said, "that's the only thing left to cut."
Which companies are on the chopping block is unclear.
"There have been previous lists that have been put out and people are assuming that is the same list," LaVorgna said. "That is an assumption."
There are two theories about which stations would be closed, said Meredith Burak, spokeswoman for Councilwoman Liz Crowley (D-Middle Village), who is the chair of the fire and criminal justice committee.
The first is that they are targeting stations with more companies nearby. The second theory is that they would close stations with fewer emergency calls.
Both would be a mistake, Burak said.
Companies are strategically placed so that firefighters can respond in three to four minutes. Those with fewer runs have people in a wider area depending on them.
"Fire companies are the fabric of our city's emergency response system," Burak said. "If you take out a company, you weaken the fabric."
Cutting one company affects an entire borough, said Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone), a member of the fire and criminal justice committee.
Since companies are strategically placed, when a company is closed, the others must shift to cover the hole. In an emergency, it can take longer to get to some houses.
"Every second you delay makes it more possible for a fire to get out of control," Halloran said.
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