After two centuries, the New York Fire Patrol has been told to close its doors for good. þþAccording to a letter dated Aug. 4 from the New York Board of Fire Underwriters to James Nuñez, the president of the union that represents the patrol members, Oct. 14 will be the last day that the “patrolios,” as they refer to themselves, will perform their salvage duties. þþOn Oct. 15, “each of the facilities will close in its entirety,” said the letter, signed by Gregory V. Serio, the patrol’s interim administrator. þþThe patrol, underwritten by the insurance industry, works in the wake of the Fire Department, salvaging property and limiting the damage at blazes in commercial buildings.þþThe Board of Fire Underwriters is the insurance industry organization that underwrites the Fire Patrol, and relations between it and the patrol have been strained, with each side accusing the other of management failures. þþThe main point of contention has long been whether the patrol could justify its $8.5 million annual budget. þþThe 80 or so remaining patrolmen — there are no longer any women — contend that their salvage activities save an estimated $10 million annually in insurance claims. However, a 2005 report by Park Strategies, former Senator Alfonse M. D’Amato’s consulting firm, said those claims were difficult to substantiate.þþ“Even the lightest scratch of the veneer reveals that there is little substance behind these figures,” the report stated. Despite 11th-hour negotiations to preserve the patrol, “this action is expected to be permanent,” Mr. Serio’s letter said. þþMembers of the patrol have been forbidden by the Board of Fire Underwriters from talking to the press or the public about the closing. However, leaders of the union that represents the patrol are permitted to comment, and they voiced frustration over what they called a lack of communication from the board. þþ“We’re being completely kept in the dark,” said Eric Shultz, a patrolman and the union vice president. “The only thing we’re being told is that we’re not working after the 15th.”þþNeither Mr. Serio nor Richard R. Heffernan, the chief of the patrol, responded to requests for comment.þþHowever, one person who has been involved in the closing, Ellen Melchionni, the vice president of the New York Insurance Association, a lobbying group, said, “If they were saving somebody money, somebody would fund them.” þþFrancis X. Gribbon, the Fire Department’s chief spokesman, said in an e-mail statement: “This is an unfortunate situation. The New York City Fire Department has had a long history with the Fire Patrol and recognizes that its members provide a valuable service to the city. But regrettably, this is not our decision.” þþThe patrol has three stations from which its members travel to fires, two in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn. The patrolmen, who earn about $46,000 a year, say the closing is more than the loss of jobs for them, it’s the loss of an institution. þþMore vocal opposition to the closing came yesterday when about 100 people attended a rally on West Third Street, outside the Fire Patrol 2 station house. Patrolman Keith Roma, who died responding to the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, had been stationed there.þþArnie Roma, Patrolman Roma’s father, was at yesterday’s rally. He described how his son’s body was found in the wreckage of the north tower on Christmas Day 2001. The body was with the bodies of nine civilians, and Mr. Roma believes his son was trying to lead them to safety. þþ“What did he die for that day?” Mr. Roma asked. “Give me a chance to save this.”þþ
Source: NY Times
