Brewer asks about Hudson Yards ambulance support and siren noise
Brewer asks about ambulance and fire support in Hudson Yards and complains about siren noise from hospitals. Esposito says FDNY previously placed a rapid response vehicle in Hudson Yards and will review response times, and says sirens are required when going through intersections against traffic signals.
Number two, I, too, go to the open firehouses, and we've allocated funding for some of them.
They want a firehouse and ambulance support in Hudson Yards.
Have you heard any discussion about this at all, Hudson Yards?
Or not?
I mean, maybe it's more on the fire than the ambulance, but it's a feeling of not enough support there.
We did look at that when they opened Hudson Yards, and when they first opened, we did put a rapid response vehicle staffed in there.
And at the time, and that's obviously going back a bunch of years, the call volume didn't seem to warrant it.
But we'll take a look at the response times over there and see what the need is on both the fire and medical.
Okay.
The other question, which is not, how do the sirens play a role?
I am swamped with people who hate the sirens.
Swamped.
And so I know you're trying to get through traffic, et cetera, but between the rumbler, the siren, et cetera, do you have some, we have bills on this topic.
I live between two hospitals.
My community lives between two hospitals.
It's a constant complaint.
Three o'clock in the morning, I don't know what kind of traffic you're going through.
So is that something that comes up?
Is there a reason to keep the sirens?
Is it help with response time?
We are required, especially as you go through intersections against a red light or a stop sign, we're required when there's traffic to use the sirens to make sure everybody is alerted to that.
Okay, but there are different kinds of sirens.
Yes, there are.
We have on our ambulances, our ambulances acknowledge or are in accordance with the decibel maximum.
But we don't run the only ambulances in the city.
No, I understand.
I'm just talking about your ambulances because I know that's what we're talking about.
But it's, you know, it is loud.
They are all equipped with the rumblers so that you can, you know, feel that even at times when you don't hear it.
Okay.
I want you to know that the 311 calls are not able to be taken about sirens.
We're trying to change that.
But in addition, I can say that it's a big quality of life issue.