The City Island Firehouse once again appears to face potential closure. Therefore last night, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. joined City Council Member Jimmy Vacca and more than 100 residents of City Island to protest the proposed closure of Ladder 53, the firehouse located on City Island.
This is the fourth straight year that a mayoral budget has proposed eliminating Ladder 53 on City Island. If Ladder 53 were to close, it would take the next-nearest ladder company over ten minutes to respond to an emergency, if neither of the two drawbridges leading onto the island were raised.
That would give City Island the longest first-alarm response time citywide, creating a serious risk for a community lined with wood-frame homes, marinas, boatyards, and restaurants.
“Once again, City Island is forced to stand up and demand that this community is treated fairly, and that it gets the fire services it deserves. We successfully defended Ladder 53 for the past three budget cycles, and working together, I know we will do so once again,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.