FASNY SOUNDS THE ALARM AS SPRING VALLEY FIRE COMPOUNDS NEW YORK’S LEAD IN FIRE DEATHS
In 2017, 2018, and 2019, New York had the dubious honor of being number one in the nation in fire deaths. This year, the State is off to a tragically similar start. In just over two months, New York is once again leading the nation with 45 residential fire deaths, including the tragic loss of five people in Spring Valley (Rockland County) this past Saturday. As this weekend’s incident showed, these fatal fires have occurred not only in the dense neighborhoods of New York City but on Long Island, Buffalo, the Hudson Valley, the North Country, and other cities and towns around the state.
This most recent Spring Valley fire occurred just down the street from the 2021 nursing home fire that killed volunteer firefighter Jared Lloyd. Lloyd lost his life after helping rescue multiple nursing home residents from the fire. In the wake of that tragedy, investigators found a significant number of building and fire code violations not only in the nursing home but throughout the village.
The Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY) is a staunch supporter of public safety. In light of this latest tragedy and the increase in fire fatalities this year, FASNY is calling upon the State government to act to stop this trend, improve the safety of residents, and reduce fire deaths.
Whether it be a fire caused by exploding lithium-ion batteries or something as simple as home cooking, ensuring all homes have working smoke detectors will save lives. Nationally, 2/3 of residential fire deaths occur in homes where there are either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. Unfortunately, families facing today’s economic challenges may not have the resources to purchase these devices, putting them at greater risk of injury or death in the event of a fire. There is legislation (MOA Wallace) awaiting introduction this session to allow home life safety products, like smoke detectors, to be exempt from sales taxes. These devices can mean the difference between life and death, and FASNY supports the elimination of any economic barrier in obtaining these products.
In addition, FASNY supports legislation (S.2986 / A.4430) to stop the State from sweeping critical code enforcement funding into the State’s general fund. Currently, New York takes dedicated code enforcement funding away from localities, hindering their ability to address dangerous code violations. These violations often lead to fire deaths. Local code enforcement programs are typically underfunded, creating an environment for dangerous housing situations.
“The number of home fire deaths in New York this year is startling,” said FASNY President Edward Tase, Jr. “Code enforcement reform, tax-free smoke detectors, and adequately staffed volunteer fire departments are all factors that can contribute to a safer New York for all. We are calling upon the State to take immediate actions to increase fire safety. In the meantime, we encourage all residents to ensure their smoke detectors are working and that there is at least one present on each floor of the home, and outside sleeping areas. The seconds a smoke detector can give residents during an emergency can truly be lifesaving.”
“No one wanted to wake up to tragedy this past Saturday morning. Once again, we have seen the bravery of our firefighters and first responders as they battled a deadly fire,” said New York State Senator Bill Weber. “We mourn those who perished and pray for the survivors who lost family and friends. We must rapidly address safety issues and support our first responders at every level.”
“The situation in Spring Valley is heartbreaking, infuriating, and was entirely preventable,” said New York State Senator James Skoufis. “Two children died this week. A young family is forever changed. And all because bad-acting property owners view a loss like this as nothing more than the cost of doing business. As Chair of the Investigations & Government Operations Committee, my recent probe into shoddy code enforcement across the state exposed major gaps in our local governments’ ability to keep residents safe; we must do better.”
“The tragic fire in Spring Valley is yet another reminder that our local governments and New York State must do more to prevent deadly fires in our neighborhoods. While this fire continues to be investigated, we know that there are proactive steps that can be taken to protect New Yorkers” said Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski. “These include more stringent oversight of inadequate local building departments by the State’s code division and a funding program in this year’s budget to increase the capacity of local governments to inspect and enforce the code. We cannot wait for another tragedy to happen, immediate action is necessary.”
FASNY continually advocates in Albany for legislation to create a tax exemption for smoke detectors, restore the code funding for localities, and to increase code enforcement and penalties for code violations.
About FASNY
Founded in 1872, the Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY) represents the interests of the approximately 80,000 volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel in New York State. For more information, visit fasny.com.
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- Fire Fatality Facts:
• A total of 2,284 Americans died in residential fires in 2022. - • 144 New Yorkers were killed in home fires in 2022, ranking third in the U.S. New York led the nation in home fire fatalities from 2017 to 2019 and a total of 835 New Yorkers have died in residential January 1st, 2017.
- • 2/3 of home fire deaths occur in residences with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
- • African Americans face nearly two times the risk of home fire deaths.
- • Elderly people are 2.5X more likely to die in a fire than the rest of the population.
- • Every day, at least one child dies from a home fire and another 293 are injured from fires or burns.