By Dustin Brown
The fate of two borough firehouses that only months ago were slated for closure remains in limbo as the city puts together a panel to assess how the Fire Department can trim its budget.
Although Mayor Michael Bloomberg had put Engine Co. 261 in Long Island City and Engine Co. 293 in Woodhaven on the budget chopping block in November, the ensuing public outcry prompted him to place the decision in the hands of a blue-ribbon commission, which was expected to be named this week.
A total of eight firehouses citywide had been cited for closure, which would save the city $12 million as it struggles to balance its budget.
But the appointment of the panel had been delayed because Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta, who will serve as the chairman, was sidelined by triple bypass heart surgery in December, an FDNY spokesman said.
With the commission’s conclusions at least two months away, the prospect of losing fire houses in Queens is already stirring discontent.
“It’s just a formality in my view,” said Tom DaParma, the Queens trustee for the Uniformed Firefighters Association, the firefighters’ union. “The mayor wants firehouses closed and he’s gonna use the formality of a blue-ribbon panel to get it done. There’s no question in my mind that it’s gonna compromise safety of the residents of Queens and also the firefighters.”
In some cases the cuts have already begun. The mayor last week announced he was eliminating 34 fire marshals and 12 supervising marshals, bringing down to 110 a force that numbered 250 less than a decade ago. The Bronx marshal base was closed entirely and one in Manhattan will shut at night, leaving only the base in Fort Totten and another in Brooklyn open full time.
Bloomberg said the cuts should bring a savings of $2.5 million.
But City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria), the chairman of the Council’s Public Safety Committee, lambasted the mayor for cutting the Fire Department after promising to await the panel’s recommendation.
“How can you cut the fire marshals before the commission makes the study?” Vallone asked. “I have a serious problem with the way it was done.”
Fire union officials say the cuts are forcing marshals to investigate far fewer fires, which they believe may encourage arson.
“It’s going to cost the city a lot more than $2.5 million in insurance claims, lost business, lost jobs,” said Ed Burke, the fire marshal representative for the UFA, who warned the “$2.5 million savings is going to turn into a multimillion-dollar loss. Plus the quality of life decreases.”
Reach reporter Dustin Brown by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
