FDNY Answered Record 1.7 Million Emergency Calls in 2015

There were 59 fire deaths in 2015, the second-fewest for NYC since accurate record keeping began in 1916. New York City now has gone an unprecedented 10 consecutive years with fewer than 100 fire deaths annually.

New York City's fire department personnel set a new record for emergency responses answered in 2015, with more than 1.7 million, as Mayor Bill de Blasio and Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro recently announced fire deaths in the city also fell by 17 percent from 2014. "Despite record demand, our city has never been safer nor better served by our brave and dedicated firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics," de Blasio said. "The FDNY is keeping more New Yorkers safe than ever before, and they're doing it more efficiently and effectively under the leadership of Commissioner Nigro and his entire team. I want to thank the leadership and members of the FDNY for their tireless work during our busiest year ever."

The total number of emergency calls to which the department responded was 1,747,345, a 6.4 percent increase from the previous record of 1.64 million emergencies in 2014. There were 59 fire deaths in 2015, down from 71 in 2014 and also the second-fewest for NYC since accurate record keeping began in 1916. Fire deaths have been lower in only one year, 2012, when 58 were recorded; New York City now has gone an unprecedented 10 consecutive years with fewer than 100 fire deaths annually. It was the first time on record when there were no fire deaths in the city for an entire month: June 2015.

"The number one way we measure success in the FDNY is in lives saved, and by that measure we just experienced one of the most successful years ever in our 150-year history," Nigro said. "The continued historic reduction of fire-related deaths in our city is a direct result of the dedication and commitment to duty of every firefighter, paramedic, EMT, fire marshal, inspector, and civilian in the department."

During 2015, FDNY personnel distributed more than 20,000 smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and 94,000 batteries for use in alarms, and they trained more than 20,000 New Yorkers to perform CPR.