The Bronx City Council delegation and Twin Parks fire survivors are backing Speaker Julie Menin’s push for FDNY funding to add one more firefighter per engine company.
A bipartisan coalition has formed in support of a $91.7-million city investment to increase FDNY staffing. At a June 1 press conference outside FDNY Engine Company 7/Ladder Company 1/Battalion 1 in lower Manhattan, Menin called for Mayor Mamdani to approve funding that would allow a fifth firefighter in the 86 busiest and deadliest fire-prone areas.
The Bronx has seen several recent fires, both residential and commercial, including one in Little Italy that claimed two lives, another in Boston Secor Houses that killed one person, and a large commercial fire in Claremont Village amid the city’s coldest winter in years.
In response, Bronx elected officials were already speaking about the need for the fifth firefighter. Council Member Justin Sanchez penned an op-ed in February, the month after the Bronx saw a whopping 45 fires, saying that adding one more per company would “save lives overnight.”
Sanchez joined Menin at the press conference, along with fellow Bronx Member Kevin Riley; Queens Council Member Joann Ariola, who chairs the Committee on Fire and Emergency Management; and Chris Marte, who represents the lower Manhattan district where the press conference took place and said FDNY members saved his mother and grandmother from a South Bronx fire just three years ago.
Menin said at the press conference that only 20 of the city’s nearly 200 fire companies are fully staffed, but an additional investment could restore numbers quickly.
“All it takes is one extra person to provide extra support to crews on the ground,” Menin said. “This is just common sense. How can we say no to this?”
The increased funding is a top council priority, as 2025 saw 3,000 more fires than 2024, Menin said. Already this year, 30 fires have killed 46 people citywide — representing a 60% increase in fatalities from the prior year, she said.
All FDNY companies actually used to have the fifth firefighter, but Menin said cuts began in 2011 as a cost-saving measure. Since then, the city has been paying the price.
Despite lost lives and millions in property damage, two past attempts to restore FDNY staffing have failed, Menin said. “This time, we need the administration to join us in doing the right thing.”
FDNY Uniformed Firefighters Association President Andrew Ansbro said FDNY staffing has been “slowly and steadily downsized” by mayoral administrations through the decades.
In the past 40 years, the city’s 197 companies have added 50% more daily runs, Ansbro said. He also explained that FDNY response time should track not only the time to arrive at the scene but how long it takes to get hoses on the blaze. Ansbro said adding just one person per company can help get water running in half the time — which is crucial, because fires double in size each minute, he said.
Regarding the magnitude of the Bronx Twin Parks fire on Jan. 9, 2022 — one of the deadliest blazes in NYC history — Ansbro put the blame squarely on former mayor Eric Adams, who had just taken office at the time.
Days before the fire, Adams had “immediately removed the last 20 fifth firefighters from the engine companies, trying to save a little money,” according to Ansbro. So when the Twin Parks fire broke out, “There is no question that water would’ve gotten on the fire faster” and more victims would’ve been rescued if additional staff had arrived first on the scene, he said.
Ansbro said he spoke to Mamdani about the lessons learned from Twin Parks, and he implored the mayor to approve the funding. “You have the power not only to improve the lives of New Yorkers but to save them.”
Council Member Riley said the Bronx council delegation, led by Justin Sanchez and Amanda Farías, unanimously supported the investment.
“We have seen families and entire communities left searching for answers in the aftermath of unimaginable loss, and unfortunately, this year has been no different,” Riley said.
While the city should also invest in fire prevention and education efforts, something must be done to save lives now, he said.
“When a family picks up the phone and calls 911 in a moment of crisis, they deserve to know that FDNY is supported and has every resource available to answer that call.”
Ariola said current FDNY staffing “simply not enough” for the city today and called the investment insignificant compared to what’s at stake in lives, property and community safety.
“Ninety-one million dollars is nothing when you talk about what it costs to save one life. Can you really put a cost on that?” she said.
After the press conference — which was abruptly halted when two trucks had to pull out for a run — the Bronx Times spoke with Haji Dukuray, who lost five family members in Twin Parks.
News of fires is a “never ending story every year in the Bronx,” he said. “We’re really getting tired of it” — especially since most fires are preventable, he added.
Dukuray said his work with the multi-faith nonprofit Bronx First is helping build support around fire resources and increased staffing.
“We’re trying to do anything for this happen not to any other Bronx family.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
