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A two-alarm fire that killed a woman and injured over two dozen people in Jackson Heights, Queens, Wednesday is heating up a dispute between the Fire Department and its main union.
The head of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, Stephen Cassidy, said staffing cuts hurt firefighters’ ability to battle the blaze. The FDNY has cut the crews on most fire engines from five firefighters to four to compensate for a high level of medical leave.
“Getting water on the fire was the most critical thing to slowing this down and rescuing those people,” said Cassidy. “Unfortunately, it took them longer because they had less manpower. It absolutely had an impact on this fire, and anyone who says different doesn’t know a damn thing about fighting fires”
But Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said a number of factors hampered firefighters’ efforts. The front door of the apartment where a candle started the fire was left open, allowing the flames to spread quickly. The response time was also slowed by a minute because the first 911 caller gave the wrong address.
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