REMARKS
Pierina Ana Sanchez, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings, opens joint hearing on fire safety in buildings
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5 min
Council Member Pierina Ana Sanchez initiates a crucial discussion on fire safety in buildings, reflecting on the Twin Parks Northwest tragedy and highlighting disparities in fire incidents within marginalized communities.
- Commemorates the Twin Parks Northwest tragedy, where 17 lives were lost due to a fire on January 9, 2022.
- Notes the higher incidence of fires in areas predominantly inhabited by Black and Hispanic residents, backed by NYC fire incident dispatch data.
- Acknowledges the leading causes of fires, including stove tops and heating, along with the rise in lithium-ion battery fires.
- Highlights legislative measures taken post-Twin Parks tragedy to improve fire safety and proposes additional bills for enhanced prevention and notification.
- Thanks first responders, FDNY, HPD, and her team for their ongoing efforts and contributions towards fire safety and emergency response.
Pierina Ana Sanchez
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Joint hearing today on fire safety in buildings.
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Today, as we remember, the painful tragedy at Twin Parks Northwest.
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On January 9 2022, 17 lives were lost at Twin Parks.
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Some of our community leaders powerfully repeated the refrain in those days that those families, those children, would still have been with us today if they were not from the Bronx.
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In fact, in New York City, structural fires like the devastating 5 alarm fire that took place at Twin Parks Northwest.
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Overwhelmingly take place in community districts where the majority of residents are black or Hispanic.
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Per an analysis of New York City fire incident dispatch data.
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In this hearing today and in our work as leaders of the city of New York, we must seek solutions that address the why.
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Since the Twin Parks tragedy, between January 22 December 2023, there have been 47,673 structural fire dispatch incidents throughout the city.
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We know that stove tops and heating, heating in the home are the 1st and second leading causes of off fires.
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And a particular note is the devastating rise in fires in recent years and fire fatalities attributable to Lithium ion Throughout the city.
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It has been reported that an ebike or e scooter battery causes a fire in the city at least four times per week.
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And in 2023, we must note that it was the most fatal year on record, at least in the last 30 years, with a 104 individuals who perished.
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I take this moment to thank our first responders from the bottom of my heart for jumping into harm's way time and again to prevent greater loss of life.
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In addition, I wanna shout out the FDNY for your use of data and algorithms to predict where fires might occur and do proactive inspections through your risk based inspection program.
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I wanna thank the Department of Buildings for your responsiveness on the ground when you have site control as it wasn't a fire, but 1915 Billings, Leah, have appreciated your responsiveness.
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And to HPD, we talk every day.
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I also thank you for the ongoing work.
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In addition to fire incidents and fire safety, I wanna highlight our city's fire and emergency response infrastructure for the flaced survivors.
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Our city, and this is where HPD comes in, has a robust set of policies and programs, including red American Red Cross Coordinated Services, in the time period immediately preceding a displacement event, including hotel accommodation and in some instances financial assistance.
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HPD operates longer term shelters for displaced families and individuals, and agencies including emergency management, fire, department of buildings, health, and others coordinate work in an ongoing basis to achieve tenant relocation, building, and unit repairs, and tenant services.
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While these services are unique among unique among major cities, there is room for improvement from communication with displaced tenants to sheltering issues, protection of personal property, when tenants cannot access their homes, transparency and enforcement around repairs needed, and timelines.
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Tragedies help us to understand how we can do better in the city of New York, and I look forward to discussing that today.
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The legislation, the council passed in response to Twin Parks, took direct aim at some of the fault lines exposed by the fire.
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Today, space heaters must have certain safety features, and the enforcement of self closing door requirements has been strengthened and expanded.
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There have been notable increases in self closing door violations since January 2022, and this is in direct response to legislation that we passed.
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To ensure self closing doors are installed and operating properly because deadly smoke can be cut off and contained saving lives.
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If buildings are kept inhabitable, habitable and safe conditions and housing standards are enforced properly, we should not have to respond and see tragedies of this magnitude.
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I will briefly touch on the bills we will be hearing today that are in the Housing And Buildings Committee and 2 additional bills that I have sponsored.
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Intro 6, by Council member of VLS would require HPD in consultation with FDNY and DOB to develop procedures to ensure that occupants of multiple dwellings are informed of the process for issuance of residential vacate orders following fires.
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88 by me would adopt NFPA standards for periodic testing of fire and smoke dampers and smoke control systems, and it would create procedures for conducting mandated inspections and qualification requirements for individual individual's forming such inspections to get the smoke out of dangerous conditions.
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89, also sponsored by me, would require fire commissioner to notify community boards, borough president, and council members of a fire within their respective jurisdiction within 6 hours so that we can come to the aid of residents as well.
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Proposed intro 17 sponsored by council member Brennan in relation to the installation of electrical electric vehicle supply equipment in open parking lots was heard in the previous term and is also a topic for this hearing.
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I would like to thank my team, my chief staff, Saint Godwinas, and Kadim Robinson, my legislative and communications director, as well as the housing and buildings committee staff, Taylor Zeleny, Austin Maloney, Jose Kunde, Andrew Bourne, Dan Crew, Riz Huda for all of your work leading to today's hearing.
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Thank you.
