Final Emergency Stats Confirm – 2014 Was FDNY’s Busiest
Emergency Call Volume for Firefighters Up 8.5% Over 2013
It is now official. 2014 was the Busiest Year For New York City Firefighters In The Now 150 Year History of the FDNY.
Based upon final FDNY emergency statistics, City Firefighters responded to 8.5% more emergencies last year, or 519,798 total emergency calls. That is an increase of 40,570 (up 8.47%) from 2013 when Firefighters responded to 479,228 emergency calls and up 2.52% from the previous FDNY record set in 2010. Emergency calls for firefighters to respond to gas, water & steam leaks, elevator rescues, carbon monoxide & fire alarms and scaffold and building collapses, rose nearly 15%.
The increase follows a trend that has grown steadily over recent decades, but significantly following the 9/11 attacks on our nation. Data reveals that civilian emergencies have grown 22% since 2002; 45% since 1990; 67% since 1985 and an astounding 552% since 1960. 2015 marks the busiest fire department in the world’s 150th year.
“Today New York City Firefighters are trained to deal with a wide range of emergencies,” said UFA President Steve Cassidy. “Going back decades it was fires, fires, fires. And now we’re dealing with so many more things than just structural fires. Firefighters are ready to deal with emergencies that are either manmade or natural. We dealt with Hurricane Sandy in a way that surprised everyone. In the wake of that flooding and that disaster, New York City Firefighters show that there isn’t a road map to success. We will just do what is required to make sure the public is safe.”
Mr. Cassidy continued, “Fires in New York City, they’re challenging, more difficult here than anywhere else because of the size of the buildings, the type and the age of the buildings present real challenges to firefighters, but above that firefighters are responding to medical emergencies and getting there so quickly that we’re saving lives in record numbers. Pre–hospital saves by Firefighters are critical in terms of the total emergency care that the city provides for people who are sick and/or ill or having a heart attack. The bottom line is New York City firefighters are the frontline in being there first and ensuring that we save lives.”
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