Skip to content
Council Discourse

NYC Council meetings, chaptered and linked by time.

Created by Uzair Qadir

Inspired by Vikram Oberoi's City Meetings

Q&A

Ariola presents photos: Ladder 78 parapet and Squad 288 apparatus floor

New York City Council · Jun 1, 2026 · starts 7:00:01 · 5 min 40 sec

Ariola presents photos of Ladder 78's unstable parapet wall with netting installed in 2023 but no repairs since, and Squad 288's buckling apparatus floor held up by floor jacks from 2001. DeRacus explains the parapet is stabilized and Squad 288 has window funding with apparatus floor funding in out-years being pursued for acceleration.

Joann Ariola

That is not my photo.

Joann Ariola

That's the previous photo, and he said it was corrected.

Joann Ariola

It should be engine 229.

Joann Ariola

Okay.

Joann Ariola

This is the roof of engine 229 ladder 146 in Brooklyn.

Joann Ariola

The photo shows ceiling damage and the roof has sunk from its proper place.

Joann Ariola

The roof should be in line with the metal rail on the exterior wall.

Joann Ariola

The picture shows the roof about one foot below the metal rail.

Joann Ariola

This was reported on 10-22 of 25.

Joann Ariola

The next picture shows water damage happening inside the firehouse above a cooling and heating unit.

Joann Ariola

The last time we were here, we also discussed the various work orders submitted for the Niedermann system.

Joann Ariola

For those who do not know, the Niedermann is the vacuum they attach to the apparatus to exhaust

Joann Ariola

to the exhaust system to capture exhaust and diesel fumes.

Joann Ariola

The orders were submitted on 2-11-26, 2-18-26, and 2-26-26.

Joann Ariola

You said earlier that all Niedermann systems have been repaired.

Joann Ariola

Is this one repaired?

Speaker

That is correct.

Joann Ariola

Okay.

Speaker

I would also like to talk about the roof.

Joann Ariola

Yes, please.

Speaker

If you could show it again.

Speaker

So the roof has also been repaired.

Speaker

The interior damage to ceilings has been repaired, and we are working on the walls.

Speaker

But I would like to explain a little bit about what you refer to as the roof sinking and that metal rail.

Joann Ariola

Okay, great.

Speaker

That detail is the proper detail.

Speaker

It does not show that the roof is sinking.

Speaker

That piece of aluminum flashing that you see right there exactly, that's called through wall flashing.

Speaker

And right below that, you see kind of like the roof member kind of curves up.

Speaker

That's an entire roof.

Speaker

Parapet waterproofing detail that we try to mimic.

Speaker

Actually, we install at every one of our new roofing projects.

Speaker

That roof never sank, although the roof did need repair, and it has been repaired.

Speaker

I believe I showed a very similar situation, the roof of Engine 329 on Friday to fill us when we were up on the roof.

Speaker

So that is our standard condition that we try to

Speaker

Well, actually that we do build at all of our facilities that have masonry parapet walls similar to that.

Joann Ariola

Okay, for the record, Phyllis Insurillo is my chief of staff and senior advisor.

Joann Ariola

Now we're going to our next photo, ladder 78.

Joann Ariola

Ladder 78 has put in for an unstable front parapet wall of the firehouse numerous times.

Joann Ariola

In June of 2023, buildings units subcontracted out a company to put a protective netting over the unstable parapet wall.

Joann Ariola

No repairs have been done since the netting has been put on the parapet.

Joann Ariola

Previous work orders were submitted on 6-21 of 22, 3-11 of 22, 12-6 of 21, and 1-25 of 2020.

Joann Ariola

Was this repair completed?

Speaker

So that is engine company 155, and yes, we did stabilize the condition with that netting there.

Speaker

Okay.

Speaker

This facility was also submitted as part of the roofing package that we had submitted.

Speaker

We do believe that six of these projects have been funded.

Speaker

We're not sure exactly which six.

Speaker

Is that correct?

Speaker

We can prioritize which six.

Speaker

Okay.

Speaker

So we could definitely prioritize which of these six have funding.

Speaker

And while we could prioritize that, we also have an outside vendor who is our engineering team working with us on the best approach.

Joann Ariola

Okay.

Joann Ariola

All right.

Joann Ariola

Thank you.

Joann Ariola

Okay.

Joann Ariola

The next picture is from Squad 288 in Maspeth.

Joann Ariola

The apparatus floor is buckling, patched with concrete.

Joann Ariola

The following picture shows how it is being held up by hoists that were installed in 2001, which are now also buckling and unsteady.

Joann Ariola

The apparatus floor holds rigs that weigh several tons.

Joann Ariola

There is sometimes flooding in the basement, which also compromises the hoists.

Joann Ariola

What is the status of the repairs here?

Speaker

So for Squad 288, those are what we refer to as floor jacks.

Speaker

They are supporting the apparatus floor because the apparatus floor is in need of a replacement and an overall multi-component project.

Speaker

Currently, we have funding to do windows at Squad 288, which we are moving forwards with once the funding is registered.

Speaker

And the funding for the multi-component aspect of it, which would be the apparatus floor, that funding is in the outer years, which we are working with OWNB while we're doing the windows to try to accelerate that funding forward so we could get them.

Speaker

As close to simultaneous as possible.

Speaker

Good.