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Beginning Thursday, nearly every engine company in the city that operates with five firefighters on each truck will drop down to four.
The Fire Department says the change is necessary to make up for a shortage of manpower due to high numbers of firefighters on medical leave.
Only 11 of the city’s 197 engines will retain their fifth man, sources say, down from about 60.
Medical leave is now up to over 7.5 percent of the Fire Department, largely due to lingering problems related to the World Trade Center attack, according to the union.
Under a 1996 staffing agreement between the city and the firefighters’ union, the department is permitted to reduce staffing when medical leave is high. The city started making such staffing cuts last year in order to save money.
The union says the move is foolish and compromises safety.
From five to four.
Ruschell West filed the following story
The FDNY is cutting the number of firefighters on nearly every engine company in the city.
The reason? A growing number of firefighters on medical leave or light duty: 1,300 of the 8,600 on the force. That works out to about 7.5 percent, which according to the firefighter's contract is enough to allow the department to spread out the thinner ranks citywide.
The change was not unexpected, but the head of the City Council's public safety committee warns it could jeopardize lives.
"This was a contract reached in 1996," said Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. "Times have changed, response times are up and firehouses are closed. Public safety is non-negotiable. Since when does a union contract take precedence over the safety of the public?"
Under the new staffing only 11 of the city's 197 engine companies will have five members. The cut is expected save the city more than $1.4 million in overtime a month.
"We have roughly 200 engines in this city, of which 140 operate with four men, plus an officer," said Bloomberg. "There's anywhere between 11 and 60 depending on what the absentee rate is, and we adjust it back and forth – that's part of the union contract – that have between four and five, plus and officer."
"They continue to say that firefighters are calling in sick," said UFA president Stephen Cassidy. "They're not. They're injured responding and fighting fires. Fire Department doctors put them on medical leave. You can't be on medical leave unless a Fire Department doctor agrees that you're injured. They put you on medical leave and now they're holding those numbers against us."
Manpower could go even lower in some cases. Now the city says if firefighters in one Engine Company are hurt during their tour the remaining firefighters in that company will still have to respond to fires along with other units and take what it calls a defensive position until they receive additional staffing. Prior to this new rule engine companies that were understaffed were taken out of service.
"This document which reflects that they are willing to send fire truck with virtually no manpower on them is something we just got today," said Cassidy. "Our attorneys are looking at it and don't believe they can do it. We absolutely believe it compromises firefighter safety."
But the city says it's acting well within its rights.
– Ruschell West
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