Two firefighter unions in New York City are voicing their concerns over the city’s newly enacted congestion pricing plan, stating during a press conference that the $9 toll will negatively affect response times and lead to higher overtime costs.
Leaders from both the Uniformed Firefighters Association and the Uniformed Fire Officers Association highlighted that it is a long-standing practice for FDNY members to use their personal vehicles to commute between fire stations, at no cost to the department, especially when covering shifts at other firehouses.
With the implementation of the congestion pricing toll on Sunday, UFA president Andy Ansbro explained that firefighters will now need to ask the department for transportation to their assigned work locations in department vehicles.
“They will be putting firefighters on emergency vehicles, transporting them to and from different work locations, as they’re also trying to respond to the many runs that we take in,” Ansbro said. “Thousands of runs a day.”
Though the congestion pricing plan allows for exemptions for emergency vehicles, firefighters using their personal cars were not granted similar exemptions, despite numerous requests from FDNY members.
“Where do these officers put their gear? Do they get on the Long Island Rail Road? Do they get on the 7 train? How do they get to work with this gear? And whose responsibility is it to get them there safely?” UFOA president Jimmy Brosi asked. “And why [has] this message not been heard at the state level, at the MTA, at the department level or even at the New York City mayor’s office? We have brought this to every one of them.”
Brosi mentioned that the unions had asked these agencies to compensate the less than 10% of fire members working in the business district for the additional costs they would face, but their request was denied.
“This is going to cause a serious problem in response times, it’s going to be dangerous in New York City, all because the city, the state and the MTA could not come to an agreement on what to do for the FDNY and New York City firefighters that put their own vehicles on the line with their bodies,” Ansbro added.
During a press conference on Sunday regarding congestion pricing, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber explained that one of the main objectives of the plan was to alleviate traffic congestion below 60th Street in Manhattan. Lieber noted that emergency vehicle response times, such as those for fire trucks and ambulances, have been deteriorating due to heavy traffic, and the smoother traffic flow is expected to improve this situation.
In response to specific concerns from the fire unions, Lieber told 1010 WINS reporter Carol D’Auria, “There were a lot of specific proposals for exemptions,” but ultimately, the MTA was unable to grant exemptions in many smaller cases.
“It was recommended to us ultimately that we shouldn’t have rifle shot, [specific] exemptions for every little situation, but that those folks properly can raise that issue with employers,” Lieber said. “If your employer is requiring you to drive instead of take mass transit, and requiring [you] to use the car to move during the job, that’s a legitimate question to raise with your employer.”
“The firefighters have made that argument, I know that they’re going to make it to the city as an employer-employee issue,” the MTA chair continued.
Without the exemption, the fire unions remain worried that the added transportation burden on the FDNY will hinder response times and result in increased overtime pay, a new financial strain.
“Our members have utilized their vehicles in the past to transport their gear, to arrive prior to the start of the tour, so there is no break in service,” Brosi said. “It allows not only better management but better continuity. Unfortunately we’re now telling those same members not to bring their car into the business district.”
{Matzav.com}