by ARI PAUL
Fire Department advocates breathed a sigh of relief May 17 when Mayor Bloomberg announced that the FDNY would hold off on announcing which fire companies would be cut under his budget plan in the hope that enough money could be found to avert the closings. As a result, union leaders and community activists wondered if their constant rallies against the cuts had paid off.
"They've been listening to the people," said Uniformed Fire Officers Association President Alexander Hagan about City Hall and the near-weekly rallies against the cuts at firehouses around the city. "There is a paradigm shift going on in City Hall. The advisers have gotten together and decided, hopefully, that the Fire Department is a vital link in public safety and, in particular, in response to terrorism.“
Sees Cassano's Hand
The Mayor told reporters that he was going to wait until the state finalized its budget to see whether it would supply the city with enough funding to avert the cuts. "We don't have a budget yet, and until then, there's no reason to do anything," he said.
Mr. Hagan remained optimistic that the delay in announcing the eliminations signaled that the administration was reconsidering whether it could afford to make any cuts at the FDNY. He added that he believed that Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano had pressured Mr. Bloomberg into delaying the announcement, noting that reducing companies would lead to diminished fire protection.
"I think that he had a lot to do with it," Mr. Hagan said of Commissioner Cassano. "He fought for the resources for this department."
Mr. Bloomberg's plan had called for 20 fire-company closings, and groups had anticipated an announcement May 17 about which units would be closed, as the city is obligated to give notice of the cuts 45 days in advance of unit elimination. For the last several weeks, the City Council has organized rallies at fire companies, arguing that cuts would lengthen response times not only in the immediate vicinity but for the entire fire grid.
'A Positive Sign, But . . . '
At the rallies, FDNY union leaders, Council Members and community activists noted that Mr. Bloomberg vowed not to make any cuts to the Police Department in order to spare public safety while trying to fill a yawning budget gap. The coalition had urged the Mayor to recognize that the FDNY should be considered equally sacrosanct.
"I am hopeful that this is a positive sign, but we cannot relax until our fire protection is secured," the Council's Fire and Criminal Justice Service Committee chair, Elizabeth Crowley, said in a statement. "We need to keep up the pressure and continue to let Mayor Bloomberg know that we have no room to compromise our safety services."
Uniformed Firefighters Association President Steve Cassidy said, "I hope the Mayor gets some good news on the state budget."
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