By Alex Davidson
City Councilmen Joe Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) and Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside) presented officials with a plan Friday outlining potential savings of $14 million within the Fire Department to avoid closing two Queens firehouses.
Joined by seven other council members and Speaker Gifford Miller (D-Manhattan), the borough representatives proposed hiring 100 firefighters to cut down on overtime expenses, corporate sponsorship of firehouses to compensate for the lack of public funds and reducing the number of administrative staff in FDNY bureaus.
“Keeping our firehouses fully manned and maintaining low response times is more important than ever. Our city is not immune to catastrophe,” Addabbo told the Manhattan news conference. “The Council's proposal will maintain community firehouses and protect neighborhoods.”
Addabbo, trying to prevent the closure of Engine Co. 293 in Woodhaven, and Gioia, attempting to save Engine Co. 261 in Long Island City, said their plan saves about $3 million more than Bloomberg's initial plan without closing firehouses.
“This is not quality of life we're talking about. This is life,” he said. “Engine 261 in Long Island City is one of the first units that responds to the two largest public-housing developments in the city. It is also one of just a few engines that serves Roosevelt Island.”
Addabbo and Gioia said they want to hire more firefighters to decrease the amount of overtime paid to firefighters who have worked more because of the large number of vacancies in the Department. They said the FDNY could save $3 million through the hiring, which would eliminate $7.5 million in overtime fees.
Bloomberg dismissed as a publicity stunt their proposal for corporate sponsorship of the eight firehouses slated for closure citywide, which calls for private corporations to pay for salary, overtime and benefits as well as supply costs at the stations for three years. The group said they have support from the city fire unions, which said they can guarantee corporate sponsorship.
Another element in the plan seeks to reduce the civilian, administrative staff in the FDNY by 5 percent, effectively eliminating 73 positions and saving $3.94 million in 2004. The last part of the council proposal calls for more efficient bill collecting to pursue an additional $5 million in annual revenue.
Bloomberg called for the eight firehouses to be closed in November based on the city's budget shortfall, prompting local protests by community members trying to rally support for the endangered stations. Addabbo and Gioia, along with other elected officials such as Borough President Helen Marshall and state Sen. Serphin Maltese (R-Glendale) participated in rallies following Bloomberg's announcement to show their opposition to his plan.
The delegation made the proposal two weeks before the blue ribbon panel charged with making final recommendations to Bloomberg and the Council on how to avoid closing firehouses will issue its report on March 21.
Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
