Budget cuts cause reduced staffing at New York City firehouses, firefighters union says
NEW YORK -- There are fewer New York City firefighters on the job due to city budget cuts, according to their union.
The Uniformed Firefighters Association tweeted Saturday morning that the FDNY has removed the "fifth firefighter" position from 20 engine companies.
Due to @NYCMayor budget cuts at 9AM today, the FDNY chose to remove the 5th Firefighter from 20 Engine Companies in NYC, cutting the staffing by 20%.
— FDNY UFA (@UFANYC) December 2, 2023
This reduction of staffing will make it more difficult to fight fires in those effected neighborhoods. pic.twitter.com/AqkRGARmSB
The union says the reduction in staffing will make it more difficult to fight fires.
The FDNY released a statement saying:
"The fifth man position is a contractually agreed upon number that is depends [sic] on medical leave levels. There are only 20 companies throughout the city that have such a position and it is routinely added and removed to address staffing needs based on medical leave."
In November, Mayor Eric Adams announced 5% cuts for every city agency in an effort to deal with the $7 billion gap caused in part by the asylum seeker crisis and the reduction in federal pandemic aid.