Press Release
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For Immediate Release |
Contact: (202) 225-3965 |
| Highlighting Summertime Traffic Snarls, City Islanders Step Up Fight for Full-Time Fire Protection Mother’s Day rally calls on Mayor to call off July 1 closure of Ladder 53 |
| (City Island, NY) - As thousands of cars inched toward City Island on the afternoon of Sunday, May 10 ― forming a traffic backup that is a summertime staple for this remote northeast Bronx community ― dozens of City Islanders were led by Council Member James Vacca, State Senator Jeff Klein, and Assembly Member Michael Benedetto in a Mother’s Day rally to protest the proposed July 1 closure of Ladder Company 53. Local activists took advantage of the traffic ― stretching over two miles at its worst ― to encourage motorists and passengers to sign pre-made postcards to Mayor Bloomberg pleading for full-time, on-Island fire protection. The volunteers, joined by Vacca, Klein, and Benedetto, handed out hundreds of cards as visitors made their way to the Island’s more than 30 restaurants, where owners and managers had offered to collect the signed postcards. “The fight to save Ladder 53 is already resonating across the Bronx, but on Mother’s Day we’re sending a message that this is a fight for all New Yorkers,” said Council Member Vacca, chair of the Fire and Criminal Justice Services Committee. “The traffic leading into City Island right now is typical of warm, sunny days throughout the spring and summer. City Island needs an engine company and a ladder company on the Island at all times, and we will accept nothing less.” Ladder 53 on Schofield Street, City Island’s only readily available search-and-rescue apparatus, is one of 16 companies slated to close citywide amid budget cuts. It has been subject to nighttime closure since January, closing when firefighter staffing dips below a certain level. Without Ladder 53, City Island has the longest ladder response time citywide ― nearly 10 minutes under optimal traffic conditions ― and only a single engine company with five firefighters tasked with protecting a community lined with restaurants, boatyards, and century-old wooden homes. Vacca and local residents have protested the cost-cutting move by citing unique access issues, including regular traffic backups, two drawbridges, and two upcoming projects that will further impede traffic flow: a bridge replacement near Bartow Circle that will narrow an access road from four lanes to two starting May 18, and the replacement in 2010 of City Island Bridge. Twice in the last month, after closing Ladder 53 at night, FDNY has been forced to relocate another company to the Island because traffic backups made accessing the Island impossible. “The city is well aware of the unique problems City Island faces and has chosen to ignore them and proceed with this penny-wise, pound-foolish cut,” said Vacca. “City Island needs these critical fire services,” said Congressman Joseph Crowley, who was unable to attend the rally but has been advocating for City Island in Washington and at City Hall. “I pledge to keep fighting for the safety of City Island residents with my good friends Council Member Vacca and Council Speaker Christine Quinn and I look forward to continuing our work to resolve the fate of the firehouse for the coming fiscal year.” “We need to make sure that all New York City residents can count on a swift response in the face of grave danger,” said Senator Klein, who originally voiced his opposition in December when the Mayor’s cuts were first announced. “City Island is an isolated community and its future depends on the continuation of basic services. The fire earlier this year was a disturbing reminder of what could happen without Ladder 53.” “Why should the people of City Island have to settle for less fire protection than any other resident of New York City?” said Assembly Member Benedetto. “This summertime traffic proves that outside ladder companies cannot properly serve the people of City Island. It also shows that sending in outside companies, like Ladder 61 in Co-op City, only makes matters worse by endangering the lives and property of people in neighboring communities.” The Fire and Criminal Justice Services Committee will hold its next hearing on the proposed cuts at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 12, in City Council Chambers at City Hall. A pre-hearing news conference will be held at 9:30 a.m. ### |