Even before Amazon opens its doors to 25,000 additional workers, Long Island City’s fire response infrastructure is already stretched too thin. The area needs a new firehouse, and with Amazon on the horizon, there is no longer time to wait.
Fifteen years ago, long before many of Long Island City’s high-rise towers emerged and tens of thousands of residents moved to a once industrial part of town, the city closed a longstanding firehouse dedicated to the protection of the neighborhood, Engine Co. 261.
This shortsighted move to close Engine 261 left the neighborhood highly vulnerable even at the time of its closing. The Uniformed Firefighters Association, elected officials and civic leaders alike protested the closing, and Mayor de Blasio himself — then a member of the City Council — was part of a lawsuit attempting to block the move.
Fast forward to 2018 and Long Island City has continued to transform, with new high-rise apartments and office buildings worsening the problem.
The nearest fire engine company is 10 blocks away from the old Engine 261, and the greater distance trucks must travel has meant an increase in response times, putting lives at stake — not to mention the increase in traffic and congestion due to the influx of people. Across the city, our firefighters are doing more now with fewer resources than ever. The FDNY has broken its run record for five consecutive years, and unit availability is at an all-time low.
Long Island City, more than any other neighborhood in New York and by some estimates the country, has seen an incredible amount of growth in the last decade. But unacceptably, its fire response infrastructure has not grown with it.
24 comments:
The only thing the city is interested in opening is homeless shelters
This will only work if a affordable luxury tower is built on top of it.
Apparently the people that will be flocking to live in LIC are predisposed to believe that a fire will never happen in their residences. And also that they will never get sick or injured if you count the lack of nearby hospitals in Queens.
Amazon should pay to renovate this fire house and help expand the 108th precinct.Maybe they can build a new high school in the area.
Amazon has no plans to help pay for any of this. And why should they? Bloomberg and DeBlasio let real estate developers run wild building up LIC without paying a dime into resources. Bezos is specifically getting a huge tax break so he doesn't have to pay one dime into our needs.
They should reopen engine 212 in Brooklyn too, but I can assure you they absolutely will not reopen either firehouse. Not until we get rid of the likes of JVB, DeBlasio, etc. These fake progressives who were funded by the real estate industry need to go.
LIC is already extremely congested and full-up. I seriously doubt there's even a handful of vacant homes or apartments there. I guess some of the Amazon employees will have to branch out to Woodhaven or Kew Gardens Hills for housing.
What I cannot understand is how the ruins of what was once a community can still boast a civic which gets headlines and money (Dutch Kills Civic) and a person of a colorful background (CB1, QBPL board) still get headlines and treated with any degree of seriousness.
Talk about rewarding those responsible when their community gets completely wiped off the map!
Must be Astoria.
Its 25,000 additional workers for TWO east coast facility's in New York and Virginia. (Virginia's larger facility & shipping operation is likely to hire the blue collar lion share of that 25,000 proposed total)
As in 25,000 total for BOTH new East Coast operation's---NOT EACH !!
Note the letter "S" in operations
Why wont any of these news people get the facts correct, are they not paying attention to the fine print written by Amazons lawyers and hired publicity people professionals or just blowing smoke up people ass for Amazon, the mayor and Governor ?
So sad the people of Western Queens (most here generations) are being sold down the river and are apparently too stupid to even know it!!!
So sad the people of Western Queens (most here generations) are being sold down the river and are apparently too stupid to even know it!!!
Well, what else is new? Look at what their 'leadership' did to their own community over the Steinway Mansion? My vote is for Amazon which can do a lot more good than line the pockets of a bunch of no accounts.
So sad the people of Western Queens (most here generations) are being sold down the river and are apparently too stupid to even know it!!!
THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO WESTERN QUEENS FOR DECADES
- AND AS TO HOSPITALS, THE LIC FOLKS WILL GO TO MANHATTAN NOT THE 3RD WORLD OF QUEENS.
THAT IS WHY THE POLS ARE SO P#SSED. LIC IS BEING GRAFTED ON TO MANHATTAN AND THEY ARE OUT OF THE LOOP. WAIT TILL ALL OF LIC REPS HAVE DISTRICTS SHAPED LIKE MALONEY'S. THEN THEY WILL ALSO DOMINATE CD #2 BY HAVING THAT DISTRICT EMBRACE THE TOWERS IN THE YARDS. LIC WILL HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH QUEENS.
Hey, let's put all the homeless down in High Line near Google and Facebook. Bet the millenials won't even notice. Their lifestyles are so similar.
Anonymous said: "So sad the people of Western Queens (most here generations) are being sold down the river and are apparently too stupid to even know it!!!"
The people of Western Queens are not stupid. They are just powerless in the face of DiBlazio, Cuomo, other politicians who stand to profit hugely, and especially ALL THAT MONEY which translates into MUCHO POWER known as AMAZON.
All those "generations" would collectively have to sell everything they own to fight that trio. Don't call them stupid. Call them powerless. All over Queens, we all are. That's what's "so sad".
"I guess some of the Amazon employees will have to branch out to Woodhaven or Kew Gardens Hills for housing"
If somebody's willing to put up the $$$ to build towers the city will use eminent domain to take blocks of small houses under the guise of "housing crises & infer structure upgrades" just like Moses did in the Bronx.
In 2005, New London demolished a whole neighborhood by my aunt Ida with eminent domain. New London politicians decided to team up with a big new tenant (Pfizer) and build an economic development. Taking away peoples homes, getting landlords to kick people in order to sell, expand and build businesses is wrong and this shit needs to stop.
I was forced out of a great apartment in Blissville and ended up in a backyard tent in Corona for a couple days
Jeez, don't the NYC schools learn yews people nothin these days ?
-Zoë
Crappy, you haven't updated in two days. Is everything OK?
Don't call them stupid. Call them powerless.
----------------------------------------------------
You sure about that boss.
Most in that district once again after 2, 3, 3 times STILL voted democrat across teh board for deBlasio, Coumo II and little Jimmy V.
--not to smart when grown adults are sticking hand in the fire after being burned. My niece knows better, shes 4 years old.
When we need the FD, there's precious little time for them to get there and go to work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEOmSN2LRq0
Anonymous said in response to M. How's statement: "Don't call them stupid. Call them powerless."
"You sure about that boss." Most in that district once again after 2, 3, 3 times STILL voted democrat across teh board for deBlasio, Coumo II and little Jimmy V. -- not to smart when grown adults are sticking hand in the fire after being burned. My niece knows better, shes 4 years old."
M. How says in response to a very BRAVE COMMENTER who doesn't have the guts to give his or her name, who says: My 4-year-old niece knows better than to vote across the board for Democrats.
Isn't that wonderful! You're so proud of a minor child who is so educated as to know how to vote at 4 years old. My question to you is if you can train a 4 year old child to not vote Democrat, why aren't you out there spreading your knowledge to adults who are legally entitled to vote? Get off your bum, quit your bitchin and do something to educate the public. Don't call them names. Educate them.
Perhaps Miss Zoe with the tent and Mr.How should be on dial a date ??
As far as training a 4 year old child to not vote Democrat goes, that 4 year old knows better (No training needed)
That is until she enters the NYC school system and the brainwashing starts.
That's fact, and a big part of the problem
Anonymous said: ..."As far as training a 4 year old child to not vote Democrat goes, that 4 year old knows better (No training needed) That is until she enters the NYC school system and the brainwashing starts. That's fact, and a big part of the problem
M.How responds: Your sarcasm is acknowledged. However, the public doesn't know who YOU are since YOU are not strong enough in your beliefs to state who YOU are.
Be that as it may, YOUR "fact" is totally incorrect. As all school teachers know, children learn from their immediate family and by the time they are in pre-school on up, they are parroting their parent's views and ideologies. The school system only teaches them how to read, write and express what they have already learned at home in their own words.
YOU may not like or approve of our education system but until YOU come up with a better method it's all we have.
And, it is better than some third world countries who don't have any free public education.
M How said:
"The people of Western Queens are not stupid. They are just powerless in the face of DiBlazio, Cuomo, other politicians who stand to profit hugely, and especially ALL THAT MONEY which translates into MUCHO POWER known as AMAZON."
Wrong on both counts. We are living in a constitutionally limited republic on a federal level and a democratic society on a state and local level. That means we the people voted for all we see around us. We wanted a big, centrally planned and controlled managerial government, globalist cosmopolitanism, a Santa Claus state with all the freestuff and goodfeelz. Voted for it consistently for years, for decades, eyes wide open, and cheering it all the way.
Government is the power and has the upper hand in all situations. The wealthy, banks and corporations only have influence.
Power and influence are two very different things.
Nobody from Amazon or any other corporation or bank put a gun to our heads and made us vote for this nor did the electeds we freely voted for. It is all our own collective fault.
Understand that I am not singling out any one commenter here for criticism.
Want a solution? Simple. Man up or woman up and take responsibility for your (collective) decisions and resolve to do something about it. Start at the ballot box. Vote for someone other than a progressive leftist ideologue or a GOPe cuck (a difference without a distinction). Write someone in if necessary.
So I'm willing to teach and offer solutions but is anyone willing to learn or at least offer me other options. Or is it just going to be more whining about the situation and being powerless?
And by the way, maybe a commenter who uses a handle, not his real name, should take it easy criticizing a commenter who uses anonymous. People who live in glass houses...
Just saying.
But thanks, sort of, for proving my peasant mindset theory correct and I take no pleasure in that. The people of Queens in general never fail on that account and will probably do nothing until the situation becomes untenable or dire for a critical mass of people. Then unfortunately, it's time for the yellow vests.
Don Cavaioli
"Then unfortunately, it's time for the yellow vests."
Exactly, and the day is nigh... For two examples, watch what happens when the first transients come to their new digs in LIC and if the congestion pricing proposal gets ratified
So, Don, did you get a chance to vote for all the Bike Lanes? Did you get a chance to vote for Dumblasio and the powers that be to approve or block Amazon? Did you get a chance to vote for all the tax breaks Amazon will benefit by? Did you get a chance to vote for all the homeless shelters in Queens? Did you get to vote for us to be a Sanctuary City? Were you in the back room when all the shady deals were made? Well, neither was I.
The reigning party in New York "designated and gave" us the politicians we had the "choice" to vote for. Those politicians who would do the most for the 1% were given the optics and the ability to be on the ballot. That takes a lot of money and influence to buy print and airtime.
And, that's only for starters.
You are correct -- power and influence are two different things. But like any structure, when combined they are virtually indestructible and impenetrable. This is why voters have no power over the politicians who dictate the pathway for our lives. Once they are in, they become entrenched and do what they want.
Lastly, I would not have the temerity to criticize someone for something I myself would not do. M. How is not a handle. It is my name. I've had it all my life. I sign checks with that name. I've lived in Queens all my life. I've voted here all my life. I am a poll taker at all elections. And, I belong to a community group who is involved politically in all parties and I am cognizant of how the reigning party in New York works. And it's not for the taxpayer, as you well know.
Conclusion: Unless you are in the top echelon of the reigning political party, you have no POWER unless you have all the MONEY to INFLUENCE power. As I said: "ALL THAT MONEY ... translates into MUCHO POWER.
"The school system only teaches them how to read, write"
Is this M How person serious?
They did away with English, History, Science and Mathematics by watering it down to near K1 grade coloring books and fingerpaint
"express what they have already learned at home"
Got that one right:
As in learn how to get over, beg for free stuff (and act out like a brat when you dont get it) include how work the system, get pregnant at 14 an quit school or how to get an abortion at 14 and speak every language BUT ENGLISH.
I wonder how many grade school kids in NYC know where dept of human services buildings and district court buildings are is VS a parents work location?
9 to 1 or 8 to 2 perhaps ?
--Think about it.
How many ex hippy liberal teachers VS straight conservatives in NYC
20 to 1 40 to 1 ?
--Think about it.
3rd world immigration and stupid voters make up the majority of what destroyed the once the greatest city in the world and it should be a crime.
I hope Kennedy & Johnson is burning in hell for that nasty Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 that seeded this mess of virus and mental illness on us at federal gunpoint.
-Ned
www.nra.org
Just wanted a heads up that "Ned" is an Alt Right troll posting NeoNazi talking points ( Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965).
@Stranded NYer
I don't agree with Ned, but he has been posting here for a long time. Whatever you think about him, he's got a right to his opinions and deserves to be on this forum as much as you do.
The last thing we need is more censorship. Learn what's going on with the social media behemoths right now, they are blocking "left-leaning" blogs and newssites along with the alt-right ones.
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