NEW YORK (PIX11) – A firefighters' union will be addressing New York City Mayor Eric Adams' proposed budget cuts on Monday, saying they will put too many people at risk.
The Uniformed Firefighters Association is the latest group to speak out against the budget cuts hitting departments across the city. The union said that in keeping with the mayor's cuts, the FDNY will cut one firefighter from 20 engine companies, going from five firefighters to four; a reduction of 20%.
That additional firefighter can drastically reduce the time it takes to put out life-threatening fires, according to the union.
"During a fire, saving seconds saves lives, and losing time costs lives," the union said. "The staffing cuts will cause a delay of minutes, not seconds, and the NYC budget will be balanced by putting the lives of residents and safety of firefighters on the table."
Fire engines in Midtown, the East Village, East Flatbush, Bed-Stuy, Flushing Meadows and others are among those seeing cuts. The cuts come during the colder months, which is the busiest time of year for firefighters, according to the union.
There have been a number of fires recently within neighborhoods affected by cuts. That includes a deadly fire in the Bronx on Sunday, another deadly fire in Fordham last month, and another fire the day after Thanksgiving that claimed the lives of two men.
Adams has previously said the cuts are necessary, blaming the cost of housing asylum seekers for the need to reduce costs citywide.
The union will be holding a news conference at 2 p.m.
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