Streetview of Moshe Piller’s East 172nd Street buildings © 2022 Google Maps
The city this week filed a lawsuit against landlord Moshe Piller, who has accumulated over 1,900 violations for dangerous conditions across 15 buildings he owns in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday said the purpose of the lawsuit is to pressure Piller to repair his property or face “tens of millions” in civil penalties.
Photo credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr
New York City officials are working to bolster fire safety in the wake of the devasting Bronx apartment fire in January that killed 17 people. Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday signed an executive order that aims to improve coordination between the city’s Fire Department and inspectors from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to identify safety violations earlier and increase fire safety compliance. The mayor said he plans to work with the City Council to pass a number of fire safety bills, including legislation that would increase fines for landlords who falsely report curing a self-closing door violation.
Image: Wikimedia cc
If you–or your favorite fire truck-loving kid–would like a behind-the-scenes look at where New York’s bravest get to work, keep your calendar open this weekend: On Saturday, October 5th, and Sunday, October 6th, the FDNY will be hosting their fifth annual citywide open house. More than 200 firehouses and EMS stations will open their doors to the public from 11:00am to 1:00pm or 1:00pm to 3:00pm.
Hudson Yards via Maciek Lulko on Flickr
While developers built the Hudson Yards mega-development with resiliency and security in mind, adding a powerful mechanical system and a plan to work with police, one major safety component remains missing. The 28-acre, $25 billion private development, the largest in the country, does not have its own firehouse. Members of the Uniformed Firefighters Association once again are calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration on Thursday to build a new firehouse for Hudson Yards, which is expected to bring more than 125,000 new residents to Manhattan’s west side.
Google Street View of Long Island City’s engine 261
In 2003, when then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg shuttered six city firehouses including Engine Company 261 at 37-20 29th Street in Long Island City, the growing neighborhood was nowhere near its current density. Since then, a veritable mini-city of high-rise residential towers has sprung up in the once-industrial Queens neighborhood; the FDNY has been considering the need for more firepower to keep the mini-metropolis safe. The recent announcement of Amazon’s impending arrival with 25,000 jobs in tow has given more urgency to concerns about the increased demand for emergency services, according to the Wall Street Journal.
To date, close to 700 LinkNYC Wifi kiosks have been installed throughout the five boroughs. Among their features are an app that lets users make free calls anywhere in the U.S., as well as a dedicated red 911 button for emergencies. Coupled with the fact that most New Yorkers have cell phones on them, it seems that the city’s 14,813 red alarm boxes serve basically no purpose anymore. In fact, as Crain’s tells us, last year, the boxes were used only 11,440 times to call the FDNY, which is an average of less than once per box. And, of these calls, only 13 percent were for actual emergencies and just 1.5 percent for fires. But yet, the city spends a whopping $6.8 million annually paying electricians to repair the call boxes and others to paint over graffiti.
Engine 33 via Eric on Flickr
Firehouses represent some of the most beautiful architecture in New York City, and now instead of just peeking inside through the windows (or ogling the FDNY calendar) you’ll have the chance to get up close and personal with these firehouses (and maybe even some of the calendar models). To mark its 150th anniversary, the FDNY is hosting a citywide open house on Saturday, May 2nd where the public will be welcomed inside.
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