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REMARKS
Council Member Ariola's closing remarks on FDNY budget and performance
2:00:49
ยท
3 min
Council Member Joann Ariola concludes the hearing with strong support for the FDNY, praising their preparation and leadership while emphasizing the need for significant budget increases. She argues for a $1 billion funding boost to address growing demands on the department and enable modernization efforts.
- Ariola commends the FDNY leadership for their preparedness and team cohesion during the hearing
- She highlights the department's increasing challenges, including more fires, injuries, and 911 calls
- The council member advocates for a $1 billion funding increase to support FDNY's innovative ideas and critical needs
Joann Ariola
2:00:49
If there are no other questions, then I just want to say when you're in your talks, kind of think about beach units because many of us have beaches in our district and we really do need some EMS beach units down there because people can get a little silly during the summertime when they're at the beach and at the local restaurants and bars.
2:01:13
So there's a lot of injuries.
Robert Tucker
2:01:14
Thank you for that.
2:01:15
And I also I met with the Parks Commissioner recently about our our joint activities in the Rockaways specifically.
Joann Ariola
2:01:25
Okay.
2:01:26
And just in closing, I would like
Christopher Leon Johnson
2:01:27
to
Joann Ariola
2:01:27
make a statement.
2:01:30
I had many of these hearings before.
2:01:33
And the fact that that you came so prepared, but not just you, you brought a team that really had your back, that if you needed an answer, it was provided.
2:01:45
And that's not what we see often.
2:01:47
I've already I'm seeing a lift in morale with the members of your department just in this room right now under your leadership.
2:01:56
And what we heard from our members and from you is that we have a lot of needs because we have a lot of ideas, a lot of ideas that you have and your team has.
2:02:05
You're thinking out of the box.
2:02:06
You're doing a lot of critical thinking and we need money for that.
2:02:10
And that's why we have to take all things into consideration and that's why I continue to implore the mayor to fund $1,000,000,000 to the the fire department that would be shared with EMS so that you can get all these things done because things we're having more fires, not less fires.
2:02:29
We're having more injuries, not less injuries.
2:02:30
People are calling 911 for more things, not less things.
2:02:34
We need to have a fleet that's up to date.
2:02:36
We need to really grow with AI and all the different measures that you want to take place, want to take place.
2:02:44
And we can't do that with little drops of money here and drops of money there.
2:02:50
You have been flatlined.
2:02:51
Fire Department had been flatlined for a lot of years.
2:02:54
You didn't realize any pegs.
2:02:56
We were supposed to be very thankful for that.
2:02:58
No, we need money.
2:03:00
We need money in order to get things done.
2:03:02
And I think we need to now be compensated for all the years that we didn't get anything.
2:03:07
And $1,000,000,000 is not a lot of money in the in the scheme of things when it's for a department that has been getting the job done, and that's probably the downfall and the reason why, because no matter what you always got your job done.
2:03:24
You made sure the person got to the hospital, you made sure the building was put on fire put out, you made sure that people were rescued.
2:03:31
You did that with lack of resources staffing.
2:03:37
I don't want to hear that anymore from the administration.
2:03:40
I know the administration is here, but I've spoken to the mayor directly about it.
2:03:44
This is not, it's not out, you know, any outside inside baseball or speaking behind anyone's back.
2:03:50
$1,000,000,000 is the ask from this committee, from this chair for the FDNY so that they can do their job.
2:03:59
Thank you, Commissioner Tucker, for all that you've done thus far.
2:04:02
First Deputy Commissioner Guerra, for always being on the other side of the phone when we call, and for going out into the field and making your firefighters feel that you have their backs.
2:04:15
Thank you so much.