By Tom Caprood
The Record
TROY, N.Y. — The city firefighters union is once again up in arms about staffing issues after a firefighter was injured battling a blaze on Rankin Avenue over the weekend and will begin a petition drive in an attempt to show support for their cause.
Dave Paul, president of the Troy Uniformed Firefighters Association, said that the fact the fire engine at Station 2 on Bouton Road was left unmanned Saturday delayed response the response time of city firefighters and allowed the fire at 33 Rankin Ave. to spread exponentially before crews were on the scene.
While fighting the fire, city firefighter Ray Littlejohn fell nearly 20 feet through a burned out staircase and landed in the basement of the home. Littlejohn suffered only “bumps and bruises,” but Paul believed the entire incident could have been avoided had Engine 2 been on the scene first to better control the fire.
Full Story: Station 2 has just three firefighters