Engine 271 may close due to budget cuts

A total of 16 engine and ladder companies across the city are slated to close, and one of them is in Brooklyn.Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scopetta came under fire Friday when he was grilled by City Council

News 12 Staff

Mar 20, 2009, 9:49 PM

Updated 5,512 days ago

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Engine 271 may close due to budget cuts
A total of 16 engine and ladder companies across the city are slated to close, and one of them is in Brooklyn.Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scopetta came under fire Friday when he was grilled by City Council members over the latest decision to completely close 16 fire companies. On that list is Engine 271 in Bushwick. Scopetta says this is the only solution to a citywide budget cuts. "We don't expect any kudos for closing firehouses, we don't want to close firehouses, this is a direct sign of the times,? says Scopetta."There?s no way the fire grid in New York can withstand [the closures] without [a] serious increase in response times,? says Steve Cassidy of the United Firefighters Association. On Wednesday, a massive fire engulfed several homes, leaving more than a dozen families homeless. Engine 271, which is less than one block away, has already been forced to close at night and was unable to respond. Engine 277 traveled eight blocks to fight the fire. If the budget cuts move forward, the firehouse will close July 1.


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