City to Sell Firehouses in W'burg and Cobble Hill

I see that the last comment made here was in 2006, but.. I just wanted to say that I am a young adult, really w/o the money to probably ever be able to afford such a firehouse, and by now I’m sure someone has already bought it up and done whatever with it, angering even more people in the neighborood… However, I must say honestly that I came on this sight looking for places that I will never be able to afford b/c it has been my dream for many years to live in a firehouse. That being said, i do see your points. and I would be the guy that would find it quite hilarious if that firehouse burnt down b/c the new firehouse was too far away to save it in time… it would be quite ironic. hopefully for all of your sakes, whomever purchased this building turned it into something that could be shared in the community…

If you need any further convincing that firehouses should not be closed, it should be pointed out that firefighters don’t just “do” fires. they have advanced training in hazmat and disaster response- something we very obviously need to worry about in this day and age. They are not a business, they are not a corporate asset. They are insurance, so closing any of them is a huge mistake. engine 212 is a case in point. The People’s Firehouse, 212, was the only one in the area with a chemical unit. Williamsburg is the happy home to Radiac. Radiac is a hazardous chemical waste plant and also takes care of nuclear waste as well. Now that Brooklyn is booming, only a fool would think the less is more. Hmmm…isn’t that what rummy said about the military forces we put in Iraq? And look at those results. All of the closed firehouses were vibrant parts of their communities- 204 and 212 were heavily involved in their neighborhoods and friendly with everyone.

If anyone wants to know more about the battle to save the firehouses you can look at http://www.nofirecuts.com. It’s not been updated lately but the information is still valid. There’s a lot more to the issue than just, “oh yeah- there’s another modern firehouse just 3 blocks from this one.” If you know how the response system works, you’ll see that close proximity is only one issue, and often not the most important one.

Seems to me to be another shortsighted move by this city administration against both the fire dept and the residents of these neighborhoods. First of all, in Wmsburg, 212 is a beloved neigborhood fixture, and is known as “the people’s firehouse”. It has a long history of community involvement, with a very active local group of people who work closely with the firehouse, and the two groups work on many, many social, environmental and community programs. How many other firehouses in the city have such close ties to the community? Most firefighters do not live anywhere near the communities they work in, for various reasons, and to have such a good rapport with a community is rare, and also is what being a “civil servant” should be about, something that takes a concerted effort on both sides. 212 had this, and it is being destroyed.

Secondly, communities like those served by 212 and the other houses, are growing by leaps and bounds. We all know about the huge leaps in population in Williamsburg, by the Hasidic as well as the “hipster” populations. Why take away additional protection while the population surges? It makes no sense when they did it three years ago, and it really makes no sense to sell the buildings now. Williamsburg also has the added danger posed by the waste plant, and I hear 212 was especially trained in hazmat and chemical fire skills.

Added to all of that, has anyone heard about the terrorist threat to the city? God forbid it ever happens again, but does it make sense to sell off the bases used by first responders?

While all of houses should be retained by the city, and re-opened when a more enlightened administration is in charge, it seems absolutely senseless for the city to be selling off our protection. The sale of 5 buildings is not going to take the city out of a financial crisis. The loss of historic buildings should not be allowed to happen. We don’t need some deep pocketed buyer to make more fancy firehouse condos, or a really rocking private dwelling, or worse yet, tear them down for new lux condos. We really need our firehouses, with the firemen and equipment in them, ready to protect the neighborhoods when necessary, and work to make a better New York at all times.

That might be difficult since you are anonymous.

DCAS has only filed the paperwork for disposal; the sale(s) is/are not even approved yet let alone being marketed