Save our Firehouse!!!!

Save our Firehouse!!!!

Engine 220 at 530 11th St. Brooklyn has just been slated to close.

T

his is a vital community safety issue. We are a densely populated neighborhood full of children. Response time matters!!

Help us save this engine company!!!

A small firehouse mid block on a residential street? Sorry, that's one I'm okay having closed. Our neighborhood is not otherwise underserved, there are several firehouses nearby.

what a heartless response to a plea for help. this is too important a community issue for anyone to blow it off, like it was a piece of lint. the above poster should also remember how potentially dangerous karma can be.

Agreed,

Nakapatzel can you provide links to any petitions? Or where some one can go to support the cause?

prezst said:

what a heartless response to a plea for help. this is too important a community issue for anyone to blow it off, like it was a piece of lint. the above poster should also remember how potentially dangerous karma can be.

I don't know.... life and budgeting is all about trade-offs. If it can be shown that response times and safety won't be impacted, maybe it would be better to close this firehouse and save a couple of teachers' jobs or keep libraries open a few more hours a week.

One of my all-time favorite books is Report from Engine Co. 82 by Dennis Smith. Amazing book and still so timely.

It is a great read about why cutting fire houses is almost always seen as a better option that police and teachers. Even as a teacher, I can't agree.

Also -- where are these supposed nearby other engines coming from? The only other nearby engines are on 4th ave. and 6th street. for serving Park Slope heading North -- but going South? You have a ways to go -- like 39th Street.

Yeah, North also has the one on Union, by the Food Coop. South...not so much.

Don't play with matches.

I don't know enough about Engine 220 and the surrounding neighborhood to opine on whether it should be saved or closed, but here is an unofficial map of all of the firehouses in Brooklyn:

http://www.nycfire.net/bkfiremap

Here's Brad Lander's email about this:

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2777/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4140

The Mayor plans on shutting down Engine 220 which served Park Slope for over 125 years!Steve Buscemi / Bill DiBlasio will be in attendance. All are Welcome. Spread the word. If you can't make it Please Call 311.

They Saved 11 Lives This year Alone!

Engine 220 in the New York Post

It's on May 25th 11am in front of Engine 220

530 11th st bet 7 & 8th ave.

It's on May 25th 11am in front of Engine 220

530 11th st bet 7 & 8th ave.

I wrote an article about the situation, including the location of other nearby firehouses. http://beta.local.yahoo.com/park-slope39s-engine-220-one-fire-stations-chopping-block-yahoo-contributor-network?woeid=28751175

Update, one year later:

Despite the closure of this and many other NYC firehouses, and a cut back on staffing which reduced the number of firemen per company, NYC had the lowest number of fire deaths in a century.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/fire-deaths-new-york-city-hit-lowest-number-century-article-1.1231800

Luck?

Good financial and programmatic management?

You decide.

I would also venture to guess that because building codes are tougher even frame attached housing now has fire walls and no cock lofts where fire can spread. Plus the fact that all apartments now have fire and CO detectors. If you notice, many times it's when the smoke detectors aren't working that there are the fatalities. So when all these things are combined it helps to save lives.

Yes, I feel that definately plays a role.

I'll also add that:

Because the landlords and homeowners skimp on heat, fires disproprtionately affect low income people, who are forced to use their stoves (open flame...) or plug based electric heaters for heat.

As a result, I suspect last year's mild winter, combined with rigorous DOB and HPD code enforcement re: providing adequate heat saved lives.

I also suspect that the "gentrification" of NYC, (which has increased average income in many areas) resulted in less deaths, because it may have allowed the fire department to focus its limited resources on the areas which are most at risk: Areas in which the housing stock is poor, and/or residents resort to unsafe methods to heat their homes, and/or residents live in crowded conditions.

Related reading: http://www.nynp.biz/index.php/breaking-news/13255-otda-begins-accepting-heap-applications-.html