Save The New York Fire Patrol

On January 31, 2006 the New York Board of Fire Underwriters held their biennial meeting of the insurance industry. At this meeting they voted not to fund the New York Fire Patrol. This means that the New York Fire Patrol faces elimination in the near future. This would have an adverse effect on the business community of New York City.

The New York Fire Patrol provides a valuable essential service to the commercial business owners in the city of New York; they respond to fires in primarily commercial occupancies and work to prevent water damage on the floor(s) below the fire. The New York Board of Fire Underwriters assesses insurance companies that write fire insurance in the City of New York up to 2 percent, currently 1 percent of the value of those policies. The funds generated by this assessment finance the operations of the Fire Patrol, which has been in existence for 200 years. The Fire Patrol responds along side the FDNY and at the scene are under their control and command.

The mission of the Fire Patrol is to prevent water damage to the businesses not directly affected by the fire. The Fire Patrol accomplishes this by spreading canvas tarps over the contents of office equipment, machinery and inventory below the fire floor. The Fire Patrol will pump out the water used by the FDNY to extinguish the fire, and restore sprinkler systems for continued fire protection. It also responds to water leaks and major water main breaks to de-water the occupancies affected.

With these actions The Fire Patrol has consistently saved business owners millions of dollars. Due to poor record keeping by the Board of Fire Underwriters, the management of the Fire Patrol estimates that savings are pegged to be 10 million dollars a year, while the true savings are closer to 100 million dollars per year. Tragically, the formula for savings that management is currently using to compute savings is grossly outdated. The Fire Patrol has a real impact on the economy of the City. Without it, a commercial fire could force a related business to close down permanently. A business that could very well be saved from damage will be destroyed without the quick actions of the Fire Patrol.

Water damage can be as devastating as a fire to a business owner. As business owners we feel it is in our best interest for this vital Emergency Service to continue operations, as the FDNY cannot provide us this valuable service.

We are asking the Board of Fire Underwriters to reassess our worth, after which, we are asking the member and non-member insurance companies to reconsider having another vote. We are also asking our state and local officials to find funding for the New York Fire Patrol.