FDNY union rallying for 5th firefighter on engines as Mamdani, NYC Council plan budget
Supporters of a proposal to add a fifth firefighter to New York City fire engines rallied Monday to get Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration to reverse FDNY cuts in place since the Bloomberg era.
FDNY union leaders were joined by City Council Speaker Julie Menin and families who survived fatal apartment fires in their push to fund a fifth firefighter for 86 engine companies, which is roughly half of the city's total.
Funding for a fifth firefighter is currently limited to the FDNY's 20 busiest engines.
Menin makes her case
The rally was held at FDNY Engine Company 7 / Ladder Company 1 / Battalion 1 on Duane Street in Lower Manhattan. It took place as Mamdani and the council are set to start negotiating the next city budget. Menin wants nearly $92 million allocated to the expanded FDNY staffing.
"Adding a fifth man to FDNY engine companies would help reduce the time required to put out fires, protecting the lives of civilians and firefighters alike," Menin said.
Supporters say the stakes are high after 51 people died so far this year in fires across the five boroughs -- nearly double the amount at this point last year.
So far, 2026 fire deaths include a 1-year-old baby killed in a Bronx apartment this month and three people killed in another Bronx blaze in April.
Union leaders say adding a fifth firefighter is a no-brainer
Andrew Ansbro, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, said adding a fifth member to engine companies would help improve rescue operations.
"It'll stop single-alarm fires from becoming multiple-alarm fires because we can knock it down faster," Ansbro said.
"Every fire department book that you'll read will say the safest thing you can do is get water on the fire as fast as possible. [The] fastest way to do that is with more firefighters," said Bobby Eustace, vice president of the UFA.
In response, an FDNY spokesperson told CBS News New York, "The Mamdani administration looks forward to continuing conversations with the Council regarding a fifth firefighter pilot proposal."
Attempts to add a fifth have repeatedly come up short
Most FDNY engine companies were reduced from five firefighters to four during the Bloomberg administration. Leaders say former Mayor Eric Adams tried to cut the remaining 20 when he came into office, but that was days before the Twin Parks fire in the Bronx that killed 17 people.
Haji Dukuray lost five family members.
"Words cannot explain how we still feel. When I go to our local masjid, I see the void that it left," Dukuray said.
Efforts to restore the staffing level to five have repeatedly come up short.
