Union Accuses FDNY of Underreporting Emergency Response Times

Union chief says the fire department spends more than a minute on phone with 911 operator, info it didn't release to public

Published May 23, 2013 • Updated on May 23, 2013 at 10:24 am

The firefighters union says the FDNY is underreporting its emergency response times.

Union head Steve Cassidy on Wednesday blasted the agency for not releasing to the public information that tracks emergency response calls from the moment a 911 call is answered by an operator.

He told the Daily News more than a minute is spent with the 911 operator, according to data of FDNY response time the union analyzed in the last two weeks.

Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano said the department will soon be able to report total "end-to-end" response time data.

But Cassidy says the agency already collects that data, which was included in the figures it provided to the union.