By Sarah Roebuck
FireRescue1
NEW YORK — A firefighters’ union said New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ proposed budget cut will put too many people at risk, with fewer firefighters available to respond, FOX 5 NY reports.
Andrew Ansbro, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, said the city cut one firefighter from 20 different engine companies, which reduces firefighters on some trucks from five to four.
The 20% reduction is estimated to save the city $1 million per month, FOX 5 NY reports.
The union said one additional firefighter can have a big effect on the time it takes to put out life-threatening fires.
“During a fire, saving seconds save lives, and losing time costs lives. The staffing cuts made today WILL cause a delay of MINUTES not SECONDS, & the NYC budget will be balanced by putting the lives of NYC residents and the safety of NYC Firefighters on the table,” the union said in a statement on X.
Due to @NYCMayor budget cuts at 9AM today, the FDNY chose to remove the 5th Firefighter from 20 Engine Companies in NYC, cutting the staffing by 20%.
— FDNY UFA (@UFANYC) December 2, 2023
This reduction of staffing will make it more difficult to fight fires in those effected neighborhoods. pic.twitter.com/AqkRGARmSB