Queens Could Lose Four Firehouses, Including Nearby Richmond Hill

A list made public by the borough president of Brooklyn Wednesday afternoon suggested that a Richmond Hill firehouse on Jamaica Avenue will be one of 20 closed by the city later this year as a result of budget cuts.

The firehouse, Engine 294 at 101-20 Jamaica Avenue in Ozone Park, serves much of central and southern Queens. It is located on the southern side of Forest Park, less than two miles from Forest Hills.

In total, the city is preparing to shut down 20 firehouses, with 17 of those closures coming in the outer boroughs.

Eight houses are likely to be shut down in Brooklyn, while four will be lost in Queens, including one in the Rockaways, Sunnyside and Bayside.

Uniformed Firefighters Association of New York City President Steve Cassidy said he was outraged by the possible closures.

“Today Mike Bloomberg willfully abdicated responsibility for protecting the safety of New Yorkers with his proposal to close 20 fire companies," Cassidy said. "Twenty closed fire companies will affect at least 60 communities and the city as a whole. After nine FDNY cuts including, seven fire companies closed and Engine Company staffing reduced by Mike Bloomberg, the last seven years have been the busiest in FDNY history. The mayor has been saying that New Yorkers must do more with less and that is just what New York City Firefighters have been doing all along.”

Cassidy also released some alarming figures about Mayor Michael Bloomberg's recent fire cuts, including the fact that the city now has 900 less firefighters than it did on Sept. 11, 2001.

A 2011 staffing reduction comes on the heels of the busiest firefighting year in the city's history.

More on this story as it becomes available.