Amid spiking fire deaths, push to add 5th firefighter to dozens of firehouses gains steam

City Council Speaker Julie Menin backing $91.7M proposal

The FDNY would assign a fifth firefighter to 86 engine companies across the city under a budget proposal gaining steam in the City Council that has won the crucial support of Council Speaker Julie Menin. Adding the fifth firefighter in firehouses across the city has been a key budget demand for the Uniformed Firefighters Association for decades as the number of companies with five firefighters has dwindled under the oversight of multiple mayors.

Bobby Eustace, the vice president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, told The Chief on Wednesday that adding a fifth firefighter would likely improve response times for FDNY firefighters across the city.