NYC Fire Patrol Vote

[Truck4 48]

It is being reported that the Board of Fire Insurance Underwriters has voted this afternoon to withdraw funding for the Fire Patrol Companies. A subsequent decision to maintain the Fire Patrol until alternate sources for funding can be obtained. Final decisions have yet to be made.

http://www.nybfu.org/

Copy of today's meeting notice---

NOTICE OF BIENNIAL MEETING

The Biennual meeting of the representatives of fire insurance companies, associations and underwriters that are members of the New York Board of Fire Underwiters and representatives of other fire insurance companies, associations and underwriters that are not members of the New York Board of Fire Underwriters but which insure property within the jurisdiction of the New York Board will be held at the Marriott New York at The Brooklyn Bridge, 333 Adams St. in Brooklyn NY on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. This meeting is held for the purpose of providing for the funding of the New York Fire Patrol of the Board for the years 2006 and 2007. Each company, association or underwriter providing insurance within the above jurisdiction is entitled to one vote.

For more information or to reserve your space, please contact Ms. Alethia Huggins at 212-227-3700 x 143 or email to ahuggins@nybfu.org.

For members, the Biennual meeting will be followed by the Annual meeting. For non-members, we look forward to your participation and you are welcome to stay to observe the proceedings.

[x635 4,066]

Wow, that really sucks!

The insurance industry are greedy morons for making this decision! Having the Fire Patrol saves millions of dollars!

I'm hoping for a good outcome for all of the Fire Patrol's members jobs.

[JAD622 40]

Wow, that really sucks!

The insurance industry are greedy morons for making this decision! Having the Fire Patrol saves millions of dollars!

I'm hoping for a good outcome for all of the Fire Patrol's members jobs.

←

What a shame. I was a member of Patrol 2 in 1987 and I'm very surprised the the New York Board of Fire Underwriters would end a service that has a long standing history in NYC for reducing fire and water losses. My best wishes to all the members of the New York City Fire Patrol for their future. Considering the enormous amount of money the insurance industry has, they should be ashamed of themselves for such a decision!

Edited February 1, 2006 by EWFAC-1075

[SFRD49 8]

It's really sad to see the last fire insurance patrol in the world disbanded. Right after 9-11 I spoke to Capt. (Now Chief) Heffernan at patrol #1 and he explained that the Patrol had to save more money (property) than the cost of operations in order to survive. I guess that didn't happen this year. Now we have to see what happens to the 2% money that was used to fund the Patrol.

Best wishes to all the members of the Patrol!

Be Safe,

SFRD49

[Guest]

as a member of the New York Fire Patrol, i would like to thank you for the sentiments. rest assured that it isn't over until it's over. we will fight.

[JBE 328]

Some of you can always follow in the footsteps of some of your former colleagues and come work with us Dispatchers. Best of luck to all of you.

Edited February 1, 2006 by JBE

[Cos Cob 215 7]

As a member of the Cos Cob Fire Patrol in Greenwich, CT even the threat of a closure or drop in funding is disturbing. I have made many friends in the last 10 years in NYFP and wish them the best of luck and support their fight. These guys are the example that we follow.

1st Lt. W. Christian Andersen, Jr.

Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol

ccfpp.org

[IzzyEng4 427]

Say if the NYFP goes away with the Board of Fire Insurance Underwriters, do you think that there will be any chance that the FDNY will try to incorporate the units??? They could make them part of the SOC and they really (in my opinion) an asset to them. I hate to see the Patrol go away.

[cas2383 22]

Good luck to the hard working brothers in the fire patrol. Hope they get the best out of this. A good friend of mine has a few family members in the patrol and it hits close to home. Once again hopefully the greedy insurance giants will rethink this, or can find some viable alternative to closing.

[CPAGE 2]

Statement of the New York Board of Fire Underwriters

January 31, 2006

Today, the organizations entitled to vote at the 2006 Biennial Meeting of the New York Board of Fire Underwriters voted to no longer sustain the New York Fire Patrol.

Also at the Biennial Meeting, these organizations adopted a resolution charging the board of directors of the New York Board of Fire Underwriters to carry out “in a lawful and orderly manner” the decision to no longer sustain the New York Fire Patrol.

The Board of directors will strive to keep the affected constituencies informed as to the process.

RESOLUTION

(Following a Vote Not to Sustain the Fire Patrol)

WHEREAS, at this time, it being the sense of a majority of the organizations duly represented and voting at this Biennial Meeting that the New York Board of Fire Underwriters (the “NYBFU”) should, in an orderly and lawful manner, as soon as reasonably practicable no longer sustain the NYBFU Fire Patrol.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT:

RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors of the NYBFU (the “Board of Directors”) be charged, and the Board of Directors hereby is charged, with (a) carrying out, in a lawful and orderly manner, the decision of the Biennial Meeting not to sustain the Fire Patrol; and ( following the completion of the matters set forth in clause (a) above, with returning to each organization that has paid any assessment for the year 2006 in respect of the Fire Patrol such organization’s pro rata share of such unspent assessment that is held by the NYBFU at such time.

Some members report it may be six months before they close down will update when info is relayed.

[spin_the_wheel 460]

Any more ifo or updates on this situation.....??

[Guest]

Yes. Although we are not out of the woods yet, Our Union (the UFPA), has aligned itself with the FDNY's 2 Unions (the UFA & UFOA) and the IAFF. We have had countless meetings between our unions and the mother union. A big meeting is scheduled for the beginning of March (date unknown) between our unions, the IAFF, the chief of the Fire Patrol, the acting superintendent of the Fire Patrol, and the NYBFU Board of Directors. All avenues are being checked into and explored. Other Possible funding methods are being looked into. Although this is far from over, there is a glimmer of hope for the New York Fire Patrol. I am sorry I have not posted any updates for you guys, that is because we are being kept in the dark as to all of this. Hopefully, after this meeting in March, we will have more concrete info as to what may happen to us. I will try to keep you all abreast of our situation as the info becomes available to us. Thanks again to all of you for your support. Check out our union website at www.fpny123.net. Leave a message showing your support on our forum. We are keeping the site as updated as possible with info. Take care guys, and stay safe...........

[Guest]

credit: Fire Patrol

Hang in there guys!! I see an article like this, on the cover of the NYT Metro section, as positive since it will show a lot of people the great work you do !

March 24, 2006

After 200 Years, the Fire Patrol's Time May Be Up

By CONRAD MULCAHY

The New York Times

Even before New York City had a paid Fire Department, it had the New York Fire Patrol. And it still does, for now at least.

For two centuries, the little-known patrol has responded to fires as an auxiliary force, underwritten by the insurance industry and long overshadowed by its municipal counterpart.

While the Fire Department puts out fires, the patrol works in its wake, salvaging property and limiting the damage at commercial blazes.

The patrolmen — no women are now on the force — do not bring hoses. They bring pumps for getting rid of the water. They do not break windows to vent heat. They bring protective canvas tarps to throw atop computers or retail goods.

However, this may be the last year that the "Patrolios," as the units refer to themselves, roam the streets of New York in their distinctive red helmets.

The insurance industry has decided that the old way of doing things may not be the best way, that the property salvaged by the 98-member force is not worth its $8.5 million budget, which is financed by an annual assessment on fire insurers.

Representatives from the patrol met yesterday with representatives of the New York Board of Fire Underwriters, the insurance industry panel that pays for the patrol, in an 11th-hour bid to save it.

Patrol leaders said there may still be hope for the unit's survival, though insurance executives who pay the bills still do not seem persuaded.

Ellen Melchionni, vice president of the New York Insurance Association, said of the patrolmen: "There's a huge disconnect between what they say they're doing and what the insurance companies understand that they're doing."

But in a confidential report last year, first reported in The Daily News, a consulting firm hired by the board faulted the patrol for managerial lapses, including failing to record response times or to maintain records that would support its estimate of yearly property savings.

The report by Park Strategies, the consulting firm of Alfonse M. D'Amato, the former New York senator, said it was difficult to substantiate the patrol's estimate that it saves $10 million worth of property each year.

"Even the lightest scratch of the veneer reveals that there is little substance behind these figures," the report said.

But the fire patrolmen say that they have already saved $9.8 million in property this year and that the real problem is a communication breakdown between the board of underwriters and the insurance industry it serves.

"We supply them with extremely accurate info," said Eric Shultz, vice president of the union that represents patrolmen.

"The patrolmen are throwing covers and the officers are logging the work. What the Board of Fire Underwriters decides to do with those figures is up to them."

The board's acting president, Greg Serio, did not respond to several requests for comment.

Mr. Serio, a former state insurance superintendent who now works for Park Strategies, was hired by the board after helping to prepare the report that identified inefficiencies in patrol operations.

At one time, many major American cities had fire patrols. But New York's is the only one left, Ms. Melchionni said.

It was once a more robust organization, peaking in size in the early 1930's when 400 men reported for duty at 10 stations across the city. Now only three of the historic stations remain, two in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn.

The patrolmen, who earn about $46,000 a year, say a shutdown would mean not only a loss of income, but also of an institution that traces its roots to fire salvage companies born during Thomas Jefferson's presidency.

Arthur C. Smith, the author of "The New York City Fire Patrol," tells the story of Albert Sidney Johnston, a patrol captain who, at 61, told his men to hold him by his ankles and swing him back and forth to rescue a man, a nurse and a 6-month-old baby at a Manhattan fire in 1925.

And the story of Keith Roma, a patrolman who, at 27, responded to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 and died in its collapse.

Thirty-two fire patrolmen have died in the line of duty, according to the board.

Mr. Roma's father, Arnie Roma, a retired patrolman, said those who seek to shut down the force do not appreciate its value. "Being the father of a boy who gave his life for this job," he said, "you can understand how angry I am."

Patrolman Michael L. Hagerty recently wrote on a Web site sponsored by the patrol's largest union that despite its rich history, the unit remains largely invisible.

"Try as you may to explain who and what you are, still they see F.D.N.Y.," he said. "We're the New York Fire Patrol, a sapling in the shadow of an oak."

The patrols respond to 9,000 alarms a year, by the unit's own calculations, from stations that are staffed around the clock.

At fires, they operate under the command of Fire Department supervisors, but the patrol makes its own decisions about which fires it will respond to.

Patrolmen generally go to larger fires, they say, where the patrol officers determine what goods might be salvageable. So units are more likely to go to a fire in an office building than a produce store, where the perishables are probably doomed.

Insurance companies have lost faith, however, in the proposition that all the effort results in meaningful savings.

"If they thought this organization and the money that they are spending is going to save them money on future claims," Ms. Melchionni said, "they would want to save the Fire Patrol."

The patrolmen say, however, that they have been particularly effective at protecting computers and other electronics sensitive to water damage. Such savings cannot be calculated using the measure of dollars and cents, Mr. Shultz said.

"How much are the papers on your desk, the files in your drawer or your computer worth?" he asked.

The Fire Department has not taken an active role in the debate, though the Park Strategies report said fire officials generally support the patrol as an aid in serving the public. Several city firefighting unions are working to save the patrol, though.

The Uniformed Firefighters Association, for example, said in a statement that given the workload, its members need all the help they can get at fire scenes. In January, the board of underwriters formally voted to dissolve the patrol, but it is continuing to operate with funds already collected while talks continue.

Jim Nuñez, president of the patrolmen's union, said that during yesterday's meeting, Mr. Serio talked of working on a plan that could save the patrol, but did not provide details.

Still, it was good news, Mr. Nuñez said. "We'll do everything possible to fulfill his plan," he said.

[spin_the_wheel 460]

Any more news on this topic?