Health & Fitness
Ball Seeks Firefighters And Community Members To Join Fire and Public Safety Advisory Council
Senator Greg Ball (R, C, I – Patterson) Chairman of the Senate Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee is seeking members to join his newly developed Fire and Public Safety Advisory Council.
The first objective of the council is to pass Senator Greg Ball’s bill (S5041A) aimed at cracking down on illegal subdivisions and fire hazards.
In recent years, there has been an increase of buildings that have been altered or subdivided in a manner that violates the uniform fire prevention and building code. Often times these alterations obstructs egress during a fire or other emergency.
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In many instances, these unsafe conditions have resulted in the loss of life to tenants and other occupants of these buildings. In at least one instance, firefighters became trapped in a burning building when partitions were installed to create additional living quarters without regard to fire codes. Senator Ball’s legislation would enhance the penalties for creating these unsafe conditions by imposing a penalty of up to $7,500 for illegal building conversions.
“Our firefighters should have the peace of mind that we are 100 percent behind them in every way possible. These steeper penalties for those that make illegal conversions and create firetraps will hopefully be a strong deterrent to prevent future tragedies,” said Senator Greg Ball. “This is just one of the many important issues that my new Fire and Public Safety Advisory Council will work on. I urge anyone interested to contact my office to sign up.”
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“I would like to thank Senator Ball for introducing this important bill, which will go a long way in protecting the state’s firefighters,” said the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) President James Burns. “Firefighting is already a dangerous task, and this type of illegal construction only makes it tougher. Efforts like this to hold those who make these illegal alterations accountable are welcomed by FASNY.”
Those interested in joining Senator Ball’s Fire and Public Safety Advisory Council should contact Senator Ball’s Legislative Director, Sara Ritz at Sritz@nysenate.gov or (518) 455-3111.
