Firefighters respond to a fire at 2179 Valentine Avenue in the Fordham Heights section of The Bronx on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Video courtesy of the Citizens’ App. 

The FDNY said two fires broke out on Valentine Avenue in The Bronx over the weekend, both on the same day but hours apart.

 

The FDNY responded to a call regarding a blaze on the 5th floor of a 16-story, residential multiple dwelling, located at 2000 Valentine Avenue in Mt. Hope at 10.57 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3.

 

FDNY officials said 25 units comprising 78 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the incident. They said there were no reported injuries, the fire was brought under control as 11.31 a.m. and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

 

FDNY officials said they received a second call regarding a fire at 3.10 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, on the 2nd floor of a 6-story, multiple dwelling located at 2179 Valentine Avenue in Fordham Heights.

 

They said 12 units, comprising 60 fire fighters and EMS personnel responded to the location. “No injuries reported,” an FDNY spokesperson said. The fire was brought under control at 3.38 p.m. and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

 

As reported, a fire also broke out at 2316 Loring Avenue in University Heights on the same day, with one person being transported to Jacobi Medical Center for treatment. The cause is still under investigation.

New Yorkers – use this holiday season to ensure that your home is safe from fire hazards, and that your escape plan is in place should a fire occur. Test your smoke and CO alarms today. See more #FDNYSmart tips at https://t.co/NpwdRdmcbw pic.twitter.com/REvj4meWkf

— FDNY (@FDNY) December 4, 2022

Meanwhile, as also reported, a GoFundMe page has been created by Michelle Guzman, on behalf of her cousin, Martina Suarez, following the fatal fire at 1730 Harrison Avenue in the Morris Heights section of The Bronx on Nov. 24, 2022, in which Perfecto Jose Aramboles, 60, and his daughter, Odalys Aramboles, 24, died. Two other surviving family members were injured and transported to hospital.

 

As the holiday season continues, FDNY officials are also reminding residents of some safety tips to remember when cooking. “Stay in the kitchen. Don’t leave cooking food unattended,” they said. 

 

In other FDNY-related news, five new bills were signed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Nov 28, with the goal of strengthening the FDNY through diversity initiatives, amid reports of lack of racial diversity within the department, generally, and also amid reports that some female members of the department were, at times, left feeling uncomfortable in their work environment, particularly when it came to privacy.

 

The bills in the package, sponsored by Speaker Adrienne Adams, Queens Council Member Joann Ariola, District 12 Bronx Council Member Kevin Riley and Queens Council Member Nantasha Williams, seek to address the historic lack of racial and gender diversity in the FDNY. City officials said the legislation addresses the recruitment and retention of diverse firefighters, confronts exclusionary practices that undermine diversity, and requires more transparency within the FDNY, which for the first time ever, since Oct. 27, 2022, is officially led by a woman, Commissioner Laura Kavanagh.

 

Specifically, the bills would require FDNY to develop a concrete plan to recruit and retain women and people of color as firefighters, take actions to retrofit firehouses to serve a mixed gender workforce, increase transparency on the demographics of firehouses through public reporting, require ongoing training on harassment, diversity and inclusion for all FDNY staff, and submit a public report on complaints filed with the Department’s Equal Employment Opportunities Office.

 

“New York City’s firefighters protect our city and save lives every single day, yet it remains clear that FDNY is not representative of our city’s diversity,” said the speaker in the context of the announcement. “I’m proud these new laws passed by the council and signed today help advance the department’s recruitment and retention of women and people of color from all communities as firefighters.”

 

She continued, “This package of bills becoming law marks a significant step forward to ensure that New York’s Bravest are more equitably composed of people from New York City’s entire gorgeous mosaic. I thank my colleagues in the council for working collaboratively to pass this important legislation and Mayor Adams for signing the bills into law.”

 

Introduction 516-A, sponsored by the speaker, would require the FDNY, in consultation with the City’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services (ACS), to develop and implement a plan for the recruitment and retention of firefighters from underrepresented groups within the department — female firefighters and firefighters of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. FDNY would also be required to report annually on its efforts to recruit and retain underrepresented firefighters.

 

Introduction 519-A, sponsored by Ariola, would require the FDNY to survey each firehouse to determine the permanent facility upgrades necessary to create a workplace environment that facilitates use by a mixed gender workforce, and employ interim measures, including erecting physical barriers, in locations awaiting such upgrades.

 

Upon completing the survey, the department would be required to report its findings to the council and mayor, specifically detailing the permanent facility upgrades necessary at each firehouse, as well as providing information related to any current or forthcoming construction plans to make relevant upgrades, and any interim measures taken at firehouses to accommodate a mixed gender workforce until permanent upgrades are made.

 

Introduction 552-A, sponsored by Riley, would require the FDNY to produce an annual report on the number of firefighters assigned to each fire company and special operations unit, within the department, disaggregated by the gender and race or ethnicity of such firefighters. Additionally, FDNY will be required to provide demographic information of the population residing in the immediate service area of each fire company in the City.

 

Five new bills were signed by @NYCMayor Eric Adams yesterday, with the goal of strengthening the #FDNY through diversity initiatives. Read more: https://t.co/wCF8JzLU0F pic.twitter.com/f4OQLdN90w

— FDNY (@FDNY) November 29, 2022

 

Introduction 553-A, also sponsored by Riley, would require the FDNY in consultation with the ACS, to develop and implement a plan for providing ongoing training and education to all employees regarding diversity and inclusion, including annual training on the department’s anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies.

 

Additional interactive training would be required at firehouses where incidents of harassment and discrimination take place on multiple occasions. The fire department would also be required to post a report each year on its website regarding efforts taken to implement such training.

 

Introduction 560-A, sponsored by Williams, would require the FDNY to produce an annual report on complaints filed with the department’s equal employment opportunity office regarding potential violations of the City’s equal employment opportunity policy. The report will include information on the number of complaints that were received and closed during the prior year; information on types of misconduct alleged in such complaints; and case outcomes, including any corrective action taken by the department.

 

Reacting to the bills’ passage, Riley, who is the co-chair of the council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, said, “As co-chair of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, it is a priority for this city that all legislation passed through the council upholds a true means of diversity and inclusion that seeks to benefit and protect all New Yorkers.”

 

He added, “I am honored to stand alongside the mayor and my colleagues at the signing of this legislative package that will transform the lack of diversity and inclusion within the FDNY. My bills, Int. 552-A and 553-A, further support this goal through annual demographics reporting and ongoing training for all fire department employees — opening clear measures for transparency and accountability.”

 

Riley concluded, “Today, we make our mark to address generations of systemic disparities within our infrastructure, as well as to create more welcoming and safe workplaces for all New Yorkers. Thank you Mayor Adams for signing this transformative bill package into law, and for the continued partnership with the New York City Council to support a more equitable city.”

 

Residents can visit http://fdnysmart.org for fire safety tips.