New FDNY Preparedness Equipment To Make A 'Big Difference' In Next Big Storm
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - One day after the first anniversary of superstorm Sandy, the FDNY has unveiled some new equipment that will help during the next big storm.
The fire department showed off new pumps, trucks and boats added to the fleet on Randall's Island Wednesday.
"This is a portable 550-gallon-a-minute fire pump," FDNY Special Operations Chief William Seelig said.
New FDNY Preparedness Equipment To Make A 'Big Difference' In Next Big Storm
There are two new pumps that can be brought to a fire in a flat bottom boat.
"If we had a fire in a structure that our fire trucks couldn't get in because of the depth of the water, we could deploy this boat," Seelig told WCBS 880's Peter Haskell. "We can send these boats in now and get a hose stream in operation to possibly control the fire from the boat."
Fire officials said one of the 40 new boats could have helped in Breezy Point during Sandy when nearly 130 homes burned to the ground because fire crews could not get near enough to battle the flames.
The department also added six high- axle vehicles that can go through 53 inches of water or snow.
"What you see here is a born after the storm of last year," FDNY Commissioner Salvatore Cassano said. "When we couldn't get down in some of those flooded streets in Rockaway and Staten Island, we really could've used this."
Cassano said this is all a direct response to the storm.
"This is part of our after action review. We acted very quickly to get these vehicles so that we would have it in time for this hurricane season," said Cassano. "We're more prepared than we were last year, for sure. It's going to make a big difference."
The FDNY spent more than $6 million for the new equipment. During Sandy, the FDNY rescued 500 New Yorkers.
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