New York City Fires: Still A Danger Though Numbers Are Dropping
Few events pose as much deadly danger as large industrial fires and those that ravage our private homes and apartment buildings. Fortunately, this city is now seeing a decline in annual fires. A January 9, 2017 New York Times article states that fire deaths in this city are now at their lowest in more than one hundred years. While even one death remains a tragedy, we only had 48 people die in fires in 2016.
You must go back to 1970 when 310 people died in New York City to find the highest number of annual fire deaths during the past century. Of course, one of the most disastrous single events occurred back in 1911, when the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory fire broke out – claiming the lives of 145 workers. Mayor Bill de Blasio is pleased that numerous changes in safety requirements are making a positive difference for all of us.
What Types of Changes Are Helping?
In addition to improved fire response times – greatly helped by numerous fire stations located all around this large metropolitan area – New York City is also benefitting from a program that hands out smoke alarms to many citizens, ongoing building fire inspections, and additional fire education programs for the public and big business.
Of course, our city is also benefitting from modern fireproof construction standards being regularly enforced – making it mandatory for all new high-rise buildings to be equipped with sprinklers. A much more demanding fire code is also forcing business owners to do their part in protecting all who work in their buildings.
Deadly Fires Deaths Are Dropping — Yet All Fire Department Services Remain Critical
Although some people read about New York City fire deaths dropping and jump to the seriously incorrect conclusion that we can close many of our fire stations – it’s clear that their careful placement all around this city is a key factor in helping all emergency fire department workers quickly respond and reach crisis areas as soon as possible.
During 2016, our New York City fire department responded to nearly 26,500 structural fires. Of that total, about 2,300 were deemed serious. Even more astounding is the fact that our fire department emergency medical workers quickly responded to just over 1,440,200 calls – setting a new record.
Fire Department Handles Far More Than Just Fires
As noted above, the New York City Fire Department handles well over a million emergency medical calls each year. It’s also required to handle reported gas leaks, serious car accidents where fires can break out, and exploding manholes. This latter assignment requires extensive expertise and is becoming very time-consuming in New York City and elsewhere around the country due to storms and our city’s decaying, underground infrastructure.
The Connection Between Arson and Fires
While the fire department keeps answering calls when fires are reported, our New York Police Department is charged with tracking arson complaints. Fortunately, 2016 also set a new, positive record concerning arson – it was the first time in recent years that no one died in this city due to an intentionally set fire.
All NYC Construction Site Managers & Building Owners Need Fire Education Programs
The City of New York has a proactive fire education program that seeks to end all fire-related deaths. This admirable goal requires all building owners, employers, landlords, and tenants to care enough about themselves and others to request this type of presentation. To do so, please visit the city’s website so that a Fire Safety Education Unit can come speak to your group right away. This program helps you protect your property since it outlines all the right and wrong ways for people to live and work together safely.
Should you be suffering from a serious fire-related injury incurred while at work or in your home due to someone else’s negligence, you need to contact your New York City personal injury attorney right away. We’re prepared to help you recover all compensation owed to you for your injuries.