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I have lived in NYC and LI and can say that if your house is on fire the FDNY will be there in about a minute (fire engine with water) to help you. On LI, your house will be in ashes before any equipment with water arrives. That is the truth. If you watch the local station News 12, you will see the news crews actually filming before any fire personnel are on the scene. I have great respect for the volunteers and realize they mean well but the bottom line is that the system is flawed. A 20 minute response for a fire or medical emergency is unacceptable no matter how you look at it or what your point of view is. When lives are at stake we must have the best service possible. Having a 16 year old kid and his grandfather show up after 20 minutes is something Nassau and Suffolk counties should be seriously looking at. It is common sense. And also, save the 9/11 "I'm a hero" stories. I was there too and dug in the rubble. Thank you for showing up and being on standby on the Queens side of the tunnel.
I have lived in NYC and LI and can say that if your house is on fire the FDNY will be there in about a minute (fire engine with water) to help you. On LI, your house will be in ashes before any equipment with water arrives. That is the truth. If you watch the local station News 12, you will see the news crews actually filming before any fire personnel are on the scene. I have great respect for the volunteers and realize they mean well but the bottom line is that the system is flawed. A 20 minute response for a fire or medical emergency is unacceptable no matter how you look at it or what your point of view is. When lives are at stake we must have the best service possible. Having a 16 year old kid and his grandfather show up after 20 minutes is something Nassau and Suffolk counties should be seriously looking at. It is common sense. And also, save the 9/11 "I'm a hero" stories. I was there too and dug in the rubble. Thank you for showing up and being on standby on the Queens side of the tunnel.
That's a little insensitive,a firefighter from my LI town died on 9/11.
I actually know firefighters and spend some time in firehouses, at least over here there is no way the average wait time is even close to 20 minutes.
I think anyone who volunteers to put their life in danger to help someone else should be commended and has my utmost respect.
I think LI has great fire departments. Luckily I have never personally needed them but people I know have. To a previous posters point, they are volunteers - so they are doing it b/c they are passionate about it not because they need to pay the bills.
Do I think alcohol should be allowed in fire houses? Sure, as long as they are drinking responsibly. We drink on my job... every Thursday we have an hour where everyone steps away from their desks and drinks for an hour. Now granted, I am not in a 'life-saving' profession, but I do handle millions of dollars for other people day in & day out.
I don't think we should really take away the privilege of alcohol for people who are VOLUNTEERING for something good. Remember: they are not paid. They deserve the privilege to unwind a little... as we all do.
They do a fantastic job once they show up. You will get a Chief on the scene in minutes, but there is not much he can do while your house is burning down or God forbid someone is trapped inside. 15 to 20 minutes is on average how long you will wait for an engine to arrive. I know this to be true because I have been on the scene of many fires in Long Island and timed the response. When lives are at stake, every second counts. We need a paid fire department to get a 2 minute response like in NYC. I wouldn't mind my taxes increasing for the chance of saving more lives. The volunteers are very good and dedicated people and have my respect. The problem is not them, it is an antiquated, flawed system.
Maybe not 20 min but what type of response are you getting? 3 geriatrics and a kid home from school. Ever wonder why it takes a 5 fire department response and all they save is the foundation? For what long islanders pay for a volunteer service we could actually have a full time professional department. The volley lobby is strong though. They don’t want to lose their million dollar parade pieces, Taj Mahal firehouses and puffy jackets to walk around with in the mall.
P.S. Full time EMS is LONG overdue around here, that’s the lions share of the emergencies anyway.
Please. No paid fire departments here. Horrible horrible idea.
Massive barrel of taxpayer worms would be kicked over.
I don't need my taxes going up any more on top of the existing yearly increases.
Please. No paid fire departments here. Horrible horrible idea.
Massive barrel of taxpayer worms would be kicked over.
I don't need my taxes going up any more on top of the existing yearly increases.
Newsflash Karl, you’re already paying through the nose and getting a subpar product.
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