BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — As Western New York approaches the one-month mark since the deadly Blizzard of '22, efforts from inside Buffalo Common Council to improve the city's storm are ramping up.
On Tuesday, inside the common council chambers, post-blizzard discussions took center stage.
"I think this is a very, very good start," councilman Joseph Golombek said.
With off-duty firefighters listening, Buffalo Fire Commissioner William Renaldo spoke to the council for the first time about his department's storm response.
"This singular event has proven to be a defining moment for this department," Renaldo said.
Renaldo said between December 23rd and the 30th, the department responded to 1,656 calls for service and persevered even when the snow stopped some trucks in their tracks.
"And at no time did the age or condition of our apparatus or equipment affect our ability to respond or operate during any of these incidents," Renaldo said.
Still, Renaldo took the hot seat regarding the department's equipment. Buffalo Professional Firefighters Union President, Vinny Ventresca responded to Renaldo's storm recap.
"The age of the fleet and of apparatus has affected our safety and the safety of the citizens and has made it difficult to accomplish our main mission of fire suppression," Ventresca said.
Councilman Chris Scanlon also chimed in following Ventresca's response.
"Commissioner, I think we can establish that the equipment is old," Scanlon said.
Sanlon said having reliable equipment is a life-or-death matter.
"I don't want to wait for that day to come. We need to be preventative. We need to be proactive. We can't continue to be reactive," h said.
Scanlon recently introduced a resolution that would use federal funding to purchase new equipment for city departments, including Buffalo Fire.
"You've got 13 of the 19 that are older than 13 years. You had seven of the nine ladders that are the same age, so the time is now to purchase this equipment," Scanlon added.
The discussion also highlighted the urgent need for a reassessment of who, and how, emergencies in the city are handled.
"I do think the City of Buffalo does need that so we can have someone that we can contact," Golombek said.
Councilman Mitch Nowakowski said the spirited discussion opened the door to much-needed dialogue.
"I think uncovering a lot of those things helps brief the council on the need to create an emergency manager position in the City of Buffalo," Nowakowski said.
Soon, council members will see if they can amend an already approved capital budget to use the American Rescue Plan money to purchase new equipment for Buffalo Fire, Buffalo Police and the Department of Public Works.
"I hope that we will be able to move forward and have a civil conversation and find out what went right and what went wrong," Golombek said.
A city spokesperson told 7 News' Kristen Mirand since 2018 $5 million worth of new equipment has been spent. They added in the most recent budget more money was allocated for two pieces of equipment for the department, and a new fire station is in the works in South Buffalo. The spokesperson emphasized the age of the fleet had nothing to do with the response.
