New York has long led the nation in fire deaths, firefighters say
ALBANY — New York is leading the nation for residential fire deaths with 45 fatalities in the first three months of this year — a staggering statistic that highlights the need for legislative action, according to the Firefighters Association of the State of New York.
John D’Alessandro, the association’s secretary and a volunteer firefighter, said the fatalities have underscored the urgency of legislation that the organization has been pushing for years, including a measure to provide funding to local building departments to conduct routine inspections and ensure multi-family residential and commercial buildings are meeting fire safety codes. Another would suspend the sales tax on smoke and carbon monoxide detectors during the month of October — fire prevention month — in a bid to encourage residents to purchase and maintain the potentially life-saving devices.
New York also led the nation in residential fire deaths during a three-year period from 2017 to 2019. Since 2017, 835 New Yorkers have perished due to a fire, according to the state firefighters association, which represents thousands of volunteer firefighters and lobbies lawmakers on their behalf.
“We have to face reality — we are never going to make fires go away,” D’Alessandro said. “We’ve been fighting fires since the beginning of civilization.”
The reasons behind the high number of deaths are varied, D’Alessandro said. First, the state has the fourth-highest population in the country. New York also has many densely populated areas that often have higher concentrations of older housing and antiquated commercial buildings.
D’Alessandro said that the number of fires that firefighters respond to has generally lessened, but each fire starts quicker and burns more intensely because of newer construction methods that involve petroleum-based materials. Even small fires can quickly spin out of control, giving firefighters less time to reach a building and contain the blaze — which poses greater danger for residents and emergency responders.
One of the most high-profile fire incidents in the state occurred in a Bronx high-rise apartment complex last year that began from a malfunctioning space heater. In the ensuing blaze, 17 people were killed and dozens others injured.
A blaze in Rockland County earlier this month killed five people, including two children, when a two-story home caught on fire.
Blazes can be deadly for those that respond to them, as well. The recent case of Buffalo firefighter Jason Arno, who died while responding to a commercial building fire on March 1, has been spotlighted by elected officials including President Joe Biden, who offered his condolences for Arno’s death during a firefighters’ conference last week.
State lawmakers also paid their respects while in session in Albany last week, passing a resolution honoring Arno and taking a moment of silence.
“Let this serve as a stark reminder of the risks and dangers undertaken by every one…
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