City Council Advocates for Additional Firefighter Positions
The City Council is pushing for the addition of a fifth firefighter to numerous fire trucks, a decision aimed at more effectively battling fast-moving fires, according to reports.
Lawmakers are requesting that the Mamdani administration set aside $91.7 million to boost staffing at 86 engine companies located in the most active and hazardous areas, continuing a long-standing effort to restore funding for the “fifth man.”
This represents the first request as the council members and Mayor Zoran Mamdani work towards finalizing the budget by the end of June, with negotiations beginning this week.
City Council President Julie Menin (D-Manhattan) emphasized, “Adding a fifth firefighter to the FDNY Engine Company will reduce the time needed to extinguish a fire and protect the lives of civilians and firefighters alike.”
Bronx Councilman Kevin Reilly, who is spearheading this initiative, mentioned the necessity of these additional personnel, especially as the FDNY deals with rapidly spreading fires linked to lithium-ion batteries. “The City Council’s request for a fifth firefighter will really help,” he noted. “It will allow us to act more quickly, especially in the case of fires caused by lithium batteries.”
Currently, only about 20 out of nearly 200 engines have the “Fifthman.” The budget proposed by Mamdani, a striking $124.7 billion unveiled in early May, did not encompass funding for these positions.
The cuts in firefighter numbers date back to 2011 under then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg, when response times were nearly a third of what they are today. There have been ongoing demands from lawmakers for the full reinstatement of these roles over the years.
In 2019, a bipartisan effort led by City Councilmember Joanne Arriola (R-Queens) and then-Councilman Justin Brannan (D-Brooklyn) aimed to pressure former Mayor Bill de Blasio to broaden the initiative across the department.
The councilors had stated, “Assigning a fifth firefighter to an engine company will significantly increase the effectiveness of that engine company. Therefore, having a fifth firefighter stationed at every engine company in the city will reduce the time it takes to extinguish a fire, decrease the number of fire-related deaths and injuries, and minimize the overall costs of medical leave and fire damage.”
During his time in office, former Mayor Eric Adams faced criticism for reducing jobs in the engine department while later reinstating budget cuts.
