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AGENCY TESTIMONY
FDNY Chief John Esposito testifies on proposed fire response guide legislation
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John Esposito, Chief of Department of the New York City Fire Department, testifies on Intro 751, which would require FDNY to develop and distribute a residential guide for residents affected by fires. He expresses serious concerns about the bill, citing operational burdens on firefighters and logistical challenges in implementing the proposed guide distribution.
- Esposito explains that the bill would require firefighters to distribute guides during critical post-fire periods, potentially compromising their safety and readiness for subsequent emergencies.
- He highlights logistical issues such as transporting and storing large volumes of paper guides without contamination or damage.
- Esposito argues that FDNY is not equipped to maintain up-to-date information on many categories required by the legislation, most of which fall outside their responsibilities.
John Esposito
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Good morning chairs, Areola and Sanchez, and committee members.
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My name is John Esposito, and I am the chief of department of the New York City fire department.
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Introduction seven fifty one would require the fire department to develop a residential guide to be distributed to residents affected by fire.
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The guide must include a summary of relevant agencies and their roles, best practices concerning renters insurance, and suspending utilities for residential tenants displaced by fire.
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Information on any city, state, federal organizations that provide emergency housing assistance disaggregated by borough.
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Information on any city, state, federal organizations, or agencies that provide emergency aid to individuals, landlord duties and tenant protections following a fire, and information pertaining to inspections.
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Under this bill, require responding firefighters are required distribute the guide.
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The guide would also be distributed to tenants on location of all post fire inspections.
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The fire department has serious concerns about this bill.
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Operationally, it would add significant burdens to firefighters during a critical period when they must focus on two urgent responsibilities.
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Depending on the nature of the fire, firefighters must either immediately undertake decontamination process to clean themselves and their gear or make themselves available to respond to the next emergency.
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Slowing down either of these processes increases the risk to the firefighters and to the member of the community who experienced the next fire.
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The bill also presents logistical concerns.
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Given the requirement, each guide would be several pages long.
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It is unclear how firefighters would transport great volumes of paper guides to and from each fire and how the guides would be stored and distributed without becoming contaminated or damaged.
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The fire department is also not in a position to keep up to date information about the many categories of information required by the legislation, much of which most of which are outside the scope of the responsibilities of the fire department.
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These concerns are also true for section d of the bill, which would require fire inspectors to transport and distribute the guide at each inspection following a fire.
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We understand that the council would like to provide resources to residents in the aftermath of a fire.
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However, doing so places the burden on the first responders.
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However, doing so by placing the burden on the first responders fighting the fire is not workable.
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I would like now to pass it to my colleague from the Department of Buildings who will who will discuss Intro 07:50.