by NICHOLAS HIRSHON
Two firefighter unions are crafting a list of ways to reduce fire response times in Queens - so Borough President Helen Marshall can bring it to the city's top smoke-eater.
During a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, Marshall urged union officials to draw up a battle plan to drive down last year's 4:58 firehouse-to-curb time in Queens - which trailed the citywide average by 31 seconds.
Once the unions provide Marshall with their priorities - like bringing back Engine 261 in Long Island City and amending its dispatch protocol - she promised to show it to Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta.
"It's another voice being heard, and we hope it'll do some good," said Marshall spokesman Dan Andrews.
Researcher Martin Steadman and Capt. Patrick Reynolds of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association say that too few firefighters are available to douse flames across Queens, Steadman said.
Steadman criticized a Fire Department pilot program - in effect since Feb. 14 - that immediately dispatches the Bravest to potential fires, even before confirming their severity.
"We want [Marshall] to stand up and tell the mayor that this is not right," Steadman said.
"If it takes you five minutes to get to a fire, you're going to have situations where you lost people you might have saved," he added.
Officials from the Uniformed Firefighters Association also met with Marshall and will contribute to the list.
Last week, union president Steve Cassidy called the FDNY's new dispatch policy "flawed," and said it is "resulting in firefighters being dispatched with incorrect information to wrong addresses."
Cassidy added that the city has "implemented another Band-Aid approach, with disastrous results from the continued failed leadership of the Fire Department."
But the FDNY credited the dispatch program for "a significant decrease in response times," leading to "better protection" for Queens residents and firefighters.
Fire Department spokesman Tony Sclafani added there are no plans to put another unit into Engine 261.
 |
