NEW YORK — “This person would clearly not be alive if Mayor Bloomberg had his way.” Those were the words of a New York City fire union in the wake of a house fire Wednesday.
President Steve Cassidy, of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, told The New York Times the man would have died if the company had not been able to respond so quickly.
Ladder 161 in Coney Island responded within 6 minutes to the early morning fire, pulling a 20-year-old man to safety. He is currently listed in critical but stable condition.
The ladder company is one of the eight to close in Brooklyn under Mayor Bloomberg’s plans to shutter 20 companies in order to close a $55 million budget gap.
“What happened early this morning should show the administration that these companies are vital in every neighborhood and should not be closed,” Cassidy toldThe New York Times.
One firefighter, who declined to give his name, told the newspaper, “We are needed here. We do a lot of rescues. The mayor says that Coney Island will be busier than ever this summer with visitors then threatens to close us down. I’m not sure why this place is on the list.”