Homeland insecurity?

According to Congressman Crowley, the safety of New Yorkers has already been compromised by, a 15 percent reduction of the police force since 2001, extremely low access to vital equipment and HAZMAT material and the closure of six firehouses, which has resulted in dramatically higher response times.

According to Congressman Crowley, the New York City Fire Department recently made a list of requirements for the adequate preparation for response to future terrorist attacks. It included:

    * A reliable communications infrastructure for first responders
    * A secure dispatch network for fire and EMS personnel
    * An expansion of Fire Department Operations Center as a fully functioning emergency center
    * A back-up emergency location
    * 12 months of emergency preparedness training for personnel.

It would cost about $277 million to acquire these and other equipment and infrastructure -- more than double the amount granted to New York State by the Department of Homeland Security.

The author, Josephy Crowley, a Democrat, represents the seventh Congressional District in the Bronx and Queens.