Beyond all the safety issues, and the truly  negligent attitude of the City toward the Fire department, there’s yet another sad loss in this story. Companies are historical entities, an inheritance from the past that have so much viability they have survived up until today. When you hear firefighters from other states and even other countries talk about how FDNY is the measure of all the rest, you have to wonder, why is this the case?  It’s not the money (there is none), it’s not the advanced technology (ask a German firefighter), it’s not training (which the government is not giving them much ).

It’s heart- and every company has it’s own.  Some of them are over 150 years old. FDNY is an old organization that has served NYC far beyond the call of duty- and the reason it has survived and succeeded into the 21st century is because the strength of the fire companies comes from a tradition that has been passed down over the years. The idea that this is a family, these are the brothers (and sisters!)- creates a  tightly knit team that works together to do the job right and well. Heart has been the one constant that has come down through the years within each company - when you close down a firehouse you lose its traditions, its histories, its  sacrifices and its memories. When you close a firehouse you break its heart. And ours.

Call the mayor- every day.CALL 311, and 212-788-3000 or -9600. Flood the phone lines, email and fax. Write him and other officials- New Yorkers elected Bloomberg Mayor- not Emperor.

On Sunday the City of New York will close 5 firehouses that have given service to her for over 100 years. In the months since we began this fight, we met many wonderful people. Men and women with the courage of their convictions, community activists who never give up, elected officials who still believe in “public service”. Although these houses will be closed by the mayor in a misguided and ineffectual way of saving money, the final decision will not be rendered until sometime in June. If the judge finds for us, the houses will reopen, but the damage to the firefighters is already done. They are tired, they are bitter, and they feel they have been forgotten. If you understand the nature of fire companies, you understand that dispersing one is painful to its members, and damaging to the tight knit operations necessary to effectively fight fires and respond to emergencies.

I have come to believe this is a Mayor who wants to break the spirit of the Department-  He shows no grace, whether he wins or loses- it’s all about power. He will not stop with these firehouses- he has indicated as much. The web site will stay up because this fight is not over, and there are others to come. I will keep adding information- FDNY is crucial to the health and safety of the city and it is important to understand why. And I will keeping adding information about the closed companies as I can- they should not be forgotten.

 New Yorkers are unique- one thing we saw in this fight is how people worked together, across all communities and groups. We found common cause and stood together - if you don’t believe in the great melting pot, this was obviously not your fight. I am grateful for the lessons I had to learn yet again- there are great hearts in NYC, and heroes on every street corner.

Finally, to the men of the closing Firehouses, I can only apologize- it wasn’t enough. We let you down and we will all live with the consequences of that. elsewhere I said: NYC is blessed with the finest response people in the world- they have proven it many times over They give what we ask - at the very least we should have the common sense to appreciate them,  the decency to remember them and the good grace to thank them

Maybe someday we will.