Chair Ariola asks FDNY about response times in isolated communities

I just want to make note that Councilmember Palladino has joined us, and also we're joined by students from NYU.

We welcome you to the hearing, and we're glad that you're interested to come and view and see what goes on here.

You'll see council members coming and going from this hearing because there are other hearings going on that they are members of those committees as well.

So I just want to, and if you have any questions, happy to answer them after the hearing.

But I'm very glad that you're showing an interest.

Thank you so much.

Data from the city reflects geographic disparities in emergency response times, specifically in isolated communities, showing longer response times in areas such as Breezy Point and the Rockaway Peninsula.

My question is, how does the department, fire department, explain such dramatic changes in response times in certain areas?

neighborhoods as opposed to others?

And what is the department doing to address this issue?

My data shows that in the Rockaways we respond pretty well.

The 4-7 Battalion is the battalion that's in the Rockaways, and there's only five battalions out of the 49 that respond quicker.

On the peninsula, we have six units and six engines and three trucks, including we do put in service at BFU.

Which is a bushfire unit.

Those units are all water rescue trained.

We do in the summertime also put a summer boat program in play where we patrol the beach with that and also drones.

In my view, we respond pretty well to the Rockaways.

Those units are all must-fill units.

So, for example, if somebody's out for training in the Rockaways, we replace them with another unit.

So it's always covered because of its isolation.

So I think we do overall on the fire ops side an excellent job of covering that peninsula.

My data shows our response times are pretty good in the Rockaways.