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by JIMMY VIELKIND
Fire department cutbacks in Williamsburg are causing unsafe conditions for thousands of straphangers who ride the L train under the East River, an advocacy group says.
The closing of Engine 212 two years ago, coupled with the MTA's plan to reduce the number of conductors, could cause problems if trains need to be evacuated in an emergency, a charge that FDNY officials are denying.
"We feel like guinea pigs, and it's frightening to us," said Philip DePaolo, a Williamsburg resident and community liason for the People's Firehouse, a civilian-run organization that advocates better fire service.
Engine 212 was on Wythe Ave., a few blocks from the Bedford Ave. L train subway exit used in evacuation of the tunnel. Now the closest responding crews would have to come from Richardson St. DePaolo said the response time for fires in Williamsburg increased 48 seconds to 4:38.
"It's unconscionable that the department would let that happen," said Steve Carbone, vice president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, noting that fast response times can be the difference between life and death.
FDNY officials were quick to shoot back.
"The people in that community still have emergency response from fire apparatus that is better than in most of the city," said FDNY spokesman Frank Gribbon, noting that the citywide average response time is more than five minutes.
But a mock evacuation held in April highlighted what a delay in an emergency situation could mean.
"Everybody in the mock drill died," DePaolo said. "In the event of terrorism, we're caught behind the eight ball."
Gribbon noted that the response for a tunnel evacuation was "very time-consuming and involved," and said he doubted that a delayed response by one unit would make a big difference.
As Williamsburg grows, the advocates say, things will only get worse. A rezoning of the waterfront approved this year paved the way for new highrises, adding to the density of a neighborhood already seeing a flurry of construction.
"The mayor does not seem to have his priorities straight. You're rolling the dice and playing with fire," said Bill Romaka, the sergeant at arms for the Uniformed Firefighters Association, which represents the rank and file of the FDNY.
Mayor Bloomberg answered the charge at a press briefing in Sheepshead Bay later in the day, denying that response times around the city had increased because firehouses were closed, and estimating they were up only three-tenths of a second.
"Sure, if there was a firehouse next door that's no longer there, the response time for you would go up, but elsewhere we're using the same people and engines and trucks to make the city safe," he said.
With Celeste Katz
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