In response, Bronx elected officials were already speaking about the need for the fifth firefighter. Council Member Justin Sanchez penned an op-ed<\/a> in February, the month after the Bronx saw a whopping 45 fires, saying that adding one more per company would \u201csave lives overnight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Sanchez joined Menin at the press conference, along with fellow Bronx Member Kevin Riley; Queens Council Member Joann Ariola, who chairs the Committee on Fire and Emergency Management; and Chris Marte, who represents the lower Manhattan district where the press conference took place and said FDNY members saved his mother and grandmother from a South Bronx fire just three years ago.<\/p>\n Menin said at the press conference that only 20 of the city\u2019s nearly 200 fire companies are fully staffed, but an additional investment could restore numbers quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cAll it takes is one extra person to provide extra support to crews on the ground,\u201d Menin said. \u201cThis is just common sense. How can we say no to this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The increased funding is a top council priority, as 2025 saw 3,000 more fires than 2024, Menin said. Already this year, 30 fires have killed 46 people citywide \u2014 representing a 60% increase in fatalities from the prior year, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n All FDNY companies actually used to have the fifth firefighter, but Menin said cuts began in 2011 as a cost-saving measure. Since then, the city has been paying the price.<\/p>\n Despite lost lives and millions in property damage, two past attempts to restore FDNY staffing have failed, Menin said. \u201cThis time, we need the administration to join us in doing the right thing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n FDNY Uniformed Firefighters Association President Andrew Ansbro said FDNY staffing has been \u201cslowly and steadily downsized\u201d by mayoral administrations through the decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the past 40 years, the city\u2019s 197 companies have added 50% more daily runs, Ansbro said. He also explained that FDNY response time should track not only the time to arrive at the scene but how long it takes to get hoses on the blaze. Ansbro said adding just one person per company can help get water running in half the time \u2014 which is crucial, because fires double in size each minute, he said.<\/p>\n Regarding the magnitude of the Bronx Twin Parks fire on Jan. 9, 2022 \u2014 one of the deadliest blazes in NYC history \u2014 Ansbro put the blame squarely on former mayor Eric Adams, who had just taken office at the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Days before the fire, Adams had \u201cimmediately removed the last 20 fifth firefighters from the engine companies, trying to save a little money,\u201d according to Ansbro. So when the Twin Parks fire broke out, \u201cThere is no question that water would\u2019ve gotten on the fire faster\u201d and more victims would\u2019ve been rescued if additional staff had arrived first on the scene, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ansbro said he spoke to Mamdani about the lessons learned from Twin Parks, and he implored the mayor to approve the funding. \u201cYou have the power not only to improve the lives of New Yorkers but to save them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Council Member Riley said the Bronx council delegation, led by Justin Sanchez and Amanda Far\u00edas, unanimously supported the investment.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe have seen families and entire communities left searching for answers in the aftermath of unimaginable loss, and unfortunately, this year has been no different,\u201d Riley said.\u00a0<\/p>\n While the city should also invest in fire prevention and education efforts, something must be done to save lives now, he said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhen a family picks up the phone and calls 911 in a moment of crisis, they deserve to know that FDNY is supported and has every resource available to answer that call.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Ariola said current FDNY staffing \u201csimply not enough\u201d for the city today and called the investment insignificant compared to what\u2019s at stake in lives, property and community safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNinety-one million dollars is nothing when you talk about what it costs to save one life. Can you really put a cost on that?\u201d she said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n After the press conference \u2014 which was abruptly halted when two trucks had to pull out for a run \u2014 the Bronx Times spoke with Haji Dukuray, who lost five family members in Twin Parks.\u00a0<\/p>\n News of fires is a \u201cnever ending story every year in the Bronx,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re really getting tired of it\u201d \u2014 especially since most fires are preventable, he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dukuray said his work with the multi-faith nonprofit Bronx First<\/a> is helping build support around fire resources and increased staffing. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re trying to do anything for this happen not to any other Bronx family.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Reach Emily Swanson at\u00a0eswanson@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0(646) 717-0015<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260601_124928-rotated.jpg\")
Andrew Ansbro with the FDNY union said just one more person to respond to a fire can save lives and reduce property damage by getting hoses going more quickly. Photo by Emily Swanson<\/p>\n