Pols, leaders vow to fight firehouse closures

City Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley ignited residents of Richmond Hill to fight the heated battle of proposed firehouse closings in Queens to ensure public safety.
“Unfortunately it seems that our mayor’s priorities are a little screwed up,” Crowley said. “If it [the budget] were to go through as planned, it would really post some serious dangers to the people of Richmond Hill, Queens, and throughout the City of New York.”
Crowley and members of the community showed their discontent for Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plans to shutdown engine 294 and 19 other firehouses as part of citywide budget cuts at the Richmond Hill Block Association’s (RHBA) open meeting on Wednesday, May 25.
Wendy Bowne, President of the RHBA, said, “It’s a dangerous proposal. After the experience we’ve had with 294 being closed in the past, and people dying in the community, to even think about doing this again — it’s insane.”
Before the meeting started, a group of firefighters, wearing equipment, were on hand to thank supporters.
As they left, the crowd erupted in applause, showing their appreciation.
“If you want to talk about the anniversary of 9/11, this is a slap in the face of to the fire department,” said Bowne.
Crowley, who is also the Fire Committee Chair, dismissed the mayor’s claim of a financial crisis and said the issue shouldn’t be a matter of money.
“I think that revenue has increased and there is a reserve that needs to be tapped into,” she said. “Not only do we lose lives when we have bad fires, we lose property and the city loses our tax revenue. The fire department is one of the best investments the city makes.”
The members of the community group said that since their houses are old and made of wood, they need as many firehouses as possible around their neighborhoods.
To prevent a shutdown of engine 294, the RHBA urged the community to spread the word and attend an upcoming rally on Sunday, June 5.
Michael Simanowitz, who is running for the 27th Assembly District, also encouraged the community’s support. He said, “If we don’t show a strong force they are going to think that we don’t care about our firehouse. We have to send them the message that we care.”
The RHBA will host the protest together with the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association at 1 p.m. on Jamaica Avenue and 101st Street.
Councilmember Daniel Halloran is also hosting a rally to save engine 306 of Bayside on Wednesday, June 1 at 10:30 a.m. in front of the firehouse.