N.Y. City Fires Decline
Significant decreases in fire incidents in New York City in the last five years have been reported by Commissioner Augustus A. Beekman.
The number of fires has dropped from 151,079 in 1976 to 114,370 in 1979, an average drop of over 100 fires a day.
Serious fires decreased 40 percent from 1976 to 1979, and fires in vacant buildings declined 50 percent in the same period. The 1979 fire death toll of 243 is the lowest since 1967.
Beekman explained, “Largely through the modified response plan, the number of false-alarm responses dropped from a record 285,290 in 1978 to 162,529 in 1979.” Under the modified response plan, apparatus is not dispatched during certain hours of the day unless a plea for aid is heard on voice-operated fire alarm boxes.
Non-fire related emergencies, such as chemical spills and oil-burner malfunctions, rose 8.9 percent in 1979.
