SI Advance – June 17, 2015
by Tom Wrobleski
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – What is it about Staten Island and public safety services? It seems we either don’t have the basic, ordinary services that the other boroughs receive as a matter of course, or we’re constantly in danger of losing what we’ve got.
If you ever wonder where the nickname “the forgotten borough” comes from, now you know.
Here’s a case in point: Staten Island is the only borough without an FDNY squad company. Squad company members are trained at expert levels to respond to hazardous material and special rescue operations.
Led by Borough President James Oddo, Staten Island’s elected officials have sent a letter to FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro asking that such a squad be created in the borough.
Maybe FDNY brass could also shed some light on why the Island has never qualified for such a squad in the past. What are the guidelines?
In seeking to have the squad company placed here, Oddo said the time was right to address “an inequity that has existed for far too long.”
He acknowledged that the request would cost money, but also rightly pointed out that it would be money well spent if it meant Staten Islanders would be better protected.
How short is the end of the stick that Staten Island is getting? Eric Bischoff, who is the borough trustee for the Uniformed Firefighters Association, pointed out that there are seven squad companies spread among the other four boroughs. That means some boroughs have more than one. And yet Staten Island has none.
Oh, we’ve got units that are close. We have a HazTech unit, which handles hazardous chemical spills. And Rescue Co. 5 is trained in confined space rescues and high angle rescues. But Rescue Co. 5 often responds to incidents in southern Brooklyn, which could leave Staten Island short-handed.
While NYPD Emergency Service Unit 5 officers, based out of New Dorp, also do confined space and high angle rescues, it’s a matter of fairness: When it comes to FDNY services, how come Staten Island doesn’t have the same resources as the other boroughs?
As Bischoff also points out, Staten Island’s population and industry is growing, but the borough’s fire protection is not. He said the squad would likely cost around $2.2 million a year, and that space is already available in some of the borough’s 18 FDNY buildings.
We’ve been bumping up against his equity issue quite a bit lately.
It was just a month ago that the city Medical Examiner’s Office suddenly announced that it would transfer all Staten Island mortuary operations to Brooklyn. That means that autopsies in murder, accident and unusual-incident cases would take across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. It’s a move that will impact police investigations and funeral home operations. And a case of the Island losing something it already had.
That followed on the heels of the NYPD’s aborted attempt to move Staten Island crash investigators to Brooklyn. In prior years, the NYPD looked to disband the Staten Island Task Force and the Gang Unit.
Staten Island is one of the five boroughs, and is home to half a million people. Our taxes are just as good as anybody else’s. We should get the same return on our investment that the other boroughs get. We should receive the same services. An FDNY squad company would be a good place to start.
No comments yet.