NYC wants to deactivate street fire alarm boxes

NEW YORK Mayor Michael Bloomberg included the idea in his January budget proposal.

Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano told the City Council on Wednesday that it would save $6 million in the first fiscal year.

He says the move was attempted in the 1990s. But it was thwarted by those who argued people with disabilities needed alarm boxes to call 911. They got a court injunction to stop it.

The fire commissioner says technological gains like mobile phones have eliminated that concern.

The city would have to convince the court that blind and deaf people have other means to report fires.

Copyright © 2024 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.