The patrol is set to shut down this Saturday if there is no intervention from Mayor Michael Bloomberg or Attorney General Elliot Spitzer. Insurers decided to “pull the plug on the group because they are no longer getting any value.” Insurers spend $8 million a year to run the service and “according to Fire Patrol figures--which have been challenged--the operation saves insurers $100 million yearly in property claims.”
Miguel Martinez, a city councilman, is fighting to keep the patrol running and claims, “that in every city where fire patrols were eliminated, premiums had gone up as a result.” Even though insurers claim to be losing money by keeping the patrol “the city’s three fire patrol stations will be sold off to fully fund fire patrolmen’s pensions, but it will probably require more money from insurers to close the operation down.”
If you are familiar with the New York Fire Patrol or have any stories or experiences with them please leave a comment.
