REMARKS
Council Member Selvena N. Brooks-Powers comments on the bill that covers engaging with the FDNY
2:10:51
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83 sec
Council Member Selvena N. Brooks-Powers explains the need for better coordination between the Department of Transportation and the FDNY to ensure timely emergency responses.
- She cites examples in Rockaway where road modifications have delayed fire truck response times
- Videos show fire trucks unable to pass through certain streets due to bike lanes, construction, etc.
- There was lack of communication with local firehouses during initial construction
- Calls for responsible approach to work together and allow emergency personnel access
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
2:10:51
Thank you.
2:10:53
And I appreciate everyone's testimony.
2:10:55
We're about to go to those who are online to testify.
2:10:58
I will say the bill in particular that talks about engaging the FDNY.
2:11:03
We've seen and and heard firsthand from our local firehouses, particularly in in Rockaway, where there have been modifications to the land escape of our roads, and they have, as a result, delayed response times because of that.
2:11:21
So while DOT may currently work in tandem at headquarters, that is not trickling down currently in a way that ensures that everyone is safe, and that includes whether it's a crash, whether it's a heart attack or a stroke, I literally have videos sitting on the block of my office where the fire truck cannot get through.
2:11:44
And they have made modifications, and it's not only limited to the bike lanes and things like that because it quite honestly, it's the construction too because when I first got elect there was construction happening, and there was no coordination with the local firehouses, and that's dangerous.
2:12:01
So I hear you, but at the end a day.
2:12:03
I think we have to be responsible, and we have to find a way to work together to make sure it's not just bureaucratic, but to make at the same time that emergency personnel can get to people when they need to.