Agency Parking does not necessarily mean "Official Vehicles Only". An EMPLOYEE in his/her personally owned vehicle is permitted to park in these spots. A UFA placard does not have the priveleges of an official department plaque, but does serve to identify a vehicle as being permitted to park in an agency parking zone.

The sign reads: "FDNY Medical Center only permits". Neither of these vehicles displayed a FDNY Medical Center only permit.

That's true, they are allowed to use UFA permits in agency zones that are off-street (hospitals, FDNY property, etc) and in an on-street location at the curb where the signage specifically says No Standing Anytime Except FDNY Union (or similar). UFA permit holders cannot park in areas that say No Standing Except FDNY (without a rider saying "union" or similar). Those are only for the few DOT/PD official FDNY permits, which are listed in the "Is This Permit Legal" section. Though I haven't seen more recent data, the number of those permits citywide in 2002 was 500. No more.

Also, no one can double park, no matter your permit.

Let's be clear about one thing: this firehouse has both a garage and a fenced-in parking lot. Its firefighters—who are wonderful and brave firemen—nevertheless consistently day after day and year after year double- and triple-park, both in their No Standing zone (which is clearly signed for the medical division, located next to the fire house) AND on the opposite site of Lafayette Street AND on neighboring Prince Street. That is abuse of privilege. Private vehicles should not be doing this. Lafayette Street is NOT an open-air parking lot with multiple lanes for private vehicles. We New Yorkers and our mayor complain bitterly about diplomats abusing their immunity and we insist they pay their fines, but our bravest unfortunately do not seem to think that creating a bottleneck on this important north-south thoroughfare is an issue of concern to them. They also consistently park in the bike lane—something they learned from their friends at DHL, UPS and FedEx

We just spoke at great length with Patrick Bahnken, President of the Uniformed EMT and Paramedics Union ,who saw a post on this site with an EMT permit used illegally.

Mr. Bahnken wanted to assure the public that his union has very strict policies on the issuance of their permits, that every member of the union has to sign a declaration that they understand the exact rules pertaining to the permits and to where they can park. The permits are for identification purposes that allow for parking at certain hospitals, at certain FDNY off-street facilities, and very few on-street facilities at the curbside with proper signage. But, the declaration is clear that a permit does not afford the holder any parking exemptions or privileges beyond what the average New Yorker has.

This is very encouraging and commendable of Mr. Bahnken, and we will be sure to follow up with the union if more of these instances should show up on the site.

I hope the president of the UFA feels similarly.

I was very restrained in my photographing around this firehouse today as there were at least five other vehicles in violation at the time I observed the two cases earlier today. While I again want to reiterate how much I admire our bravest, the abuse of privilege is out of control.

As for EMT permits, I can assure readers of this site they can observe this abuse for themselves every Monday through Friday on West 20th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues (near two photo supply stores), on and around Ninth Avenue and West 34th Street (near B&H photo store) and in other cases near Hasdic-owned photo supply stores around Manhattan. If Mr. Bahnken is serious about dealing with this, then I'll be happy to photograph a violation tomorrow for him to inspect. These vehicles are parked for hours at a time around the photo supply stores—duh, because these SUV owners work there and hide behind their coveted EMT permits.

fresh, they probably have lights and sirens on those vehicles, also illegal

I am a FDNY Firefighter and I work in this building, in fact my car appears in the background in one of these photos at the curb:) . You can read my comments in the other thread. I am going to bring this website and this ongoing problem to the attention of the Chief of Division 1 ASAP.

Thanks again to FDNY for looking in to this situation. Of course your neighbors support your great work. Since causing traffic congestion by double- and triple-parking on Lafayette Street really isn't in anyone's best interest, I'm sure there's a solution. We all know there are many abusers out there, and I did not mean to single out FDNY. Hello DHL, FedEx and UPS—you guys are the worst abusers on this street—but this isn't the website to address such concerns.

Efficient streets:
You are of course correct when you state double and triple parking is illegal and not permitted by placard. However you are incorrect in the signage for "authorized agency parking". Employees are authorized to park in agency parking and do not require and probably do not have agency plaques.

I am still eagerly waiting to hear why the fenced-in parking area isn't better utilized—there would appear to be a decent number of spots in there, especially if vehicles are efficiently parked in there.

11.
Only employees with FDNY permits in the "Is This Permit Legal" section. Employees that have UFA permits are not allowed to use them on the streets. Ask any enforcement officer if it's legal, or ask the Union Prez. If PCU enforcement officers enforced the law, UFA plaques would get tagged.

FDNY FIREFIGHTER DRIVE AROUND WITH THERE PERMIT ON THERE WINDOWS 24-7, AND PARK ALL OVER THE PLACE STOP ABUUSING THE SYSTEM...

PCU does write UFA placards on the street. I have received one. Ironically I was out writing parking tickets myself. The UFA placards are only good at FDNY self enforced areas. They do get abused by many firefighters, and civilians that have forged or copied placards. However these folks run the risk of PCU, who will write just about any placard.

Most fire houses have enough parking spots for the members who are ON DUTY. the members working can not leave until the ones coming in are present. Therefore you have 2x as many cars as parking spots. This could explain some of the double parked cars. The firehouse is not like a 9 to 5 job where nobody is waiting for you to leave.

Anonymous, you make a good point: since shifts are staggered, can the chief possibly consider an equitable system for better utilizing the assigned spots and swapping as shifts end? Or would this be a headache because everyone would make annoying requests and thus create more bureaucracy?

A firefighter cannot just leave without another firefighter there to take his place. Thus, when a parking lot (90% of firehouses don't have a lot) is full with cars belonging to firefighters from the last shift, cars end up double parked until they move their cars or the ones on the curb open up.

There are no breaks or lunchtime during a firefighters shift when he can just walk 10 blocks away from the firehouse and fire truck to casually move his car.

In every profession there are those who abuse a priveledge, parking in front of a firehouse is not.

Firefighters are sent all over the city to staff different companies. To spend an hour finding parking in an unfamiliar area of Manhattan while another firefighter is waiting over on your taxpayer dollars doesn't make much sense for the public either now. Does it? The solution: park in front and when spots open up, take it. The same way you come back home on the days during and after a snow fall to your spouse waiting to pull his or her car out so you can park in the spot that you shoveled out while they are gone.

No one is asking for your simpathy. A work day in the life of a firefighter is extremely challenging and dangerous. The last this they want to worry about is parking.

Good point!! Since the N, R, B, D, F, V and 6 trains all stop within one block of this firehouse, how about using public transportation? I use the subway. Even Mayor Bloomberg (your boss) uses the subway, though obviously not every day. What if NYC gave all active-duty firefighters who pledged not to drive a free monthly Metrocard?

Yes, when it takes them 3 hrs to get from the Bronx to Staten Island, taxpayers can cough up the overtime paid to the firefighter waiting there. Makes sense.

And when they are sent to East New York. Sure they can just go ahead and park their car 3 blocks away in front of a crack house. You won't find pictures of those double parked cars in East New York bc you don't venture into the ghetto. The gentrification of those areas is a century in the future. For now you can take on Big Brother, log onto you're FLICKR accounts, and listen to NPR from your cozy lofts in DUMBO. And when you send these ohh so important quality of life stories to you local TV news channel, they will cover the story on location with window placards provided by none other than the NYPD.

Theres always room for a rebuttal in any argument. Choose the lesser of two evils. There are a select few from all walks of life that are going to abuse a priveledge.Think of what makes more sense for the city. If only some of these vigilante activists would spend their time on more important issues affecting our society....A wise man once told me choose your battles. I think there are plenty of more important issues affecting our quality of life.

FIRESPARTAN,most people don't understand what we do during the course of the day, what they think is usualy very different from the truth,so for someone to try to understand that you can be stationed in one part of the city and show up to work only to find out that you have to go work in a other part of the city rendering subways or bus's impractical especialy since you have to get there within a certain time frame.I still have to correct people that think the city pays for our food,so trying to explain the parking sitution at firehouses may prove difficult.

What about firefighters who get detailed to other houses? They've got to carry all their gear from place to place. Would the office workers here want to take a subway (or bus--remember subways don't go everywhere) with 40+ pounds of supplies?

A car is a necessity for these public servants.

What's the deal with the underused parking lot and garage here? No one seems to have answers.

Ladder 20's quarters also house the Manhattan Fire MArshall Base, the headquarters of Division 1, whose staff covers all of lower Manhattan, and the counseling unit. There are a lot of folks in that building, many of whom have to travel between firehouses throughout the shift- the garage is for official cars. Like I said on another thread- as a fireman, there is rarely enough parking for the on-duty shift. When change of tours comes, that's double the men. it's musical cars. If I double park, intending to repark once the other guys go home, and then the bells go off, I can't hold up the response to repark the car. It has to wait. It's less important than the call. If it gets reparked later, good. If I forget, or we come back, then as I go to repark, another call comes, etc., it's not the end of the world. I hope that explains it. Firemen are pretty good about working with the community on stuff. I hope the community can understand it's not us being jerks here, it's just parking is tight, and we get calls, and this falls down the priority list. We try to do the best we can with what we have. Sorry.

TO FRESH NOT THAT YOU DESERVE AN EXPLANTION FOR THE PARKING SITUATION OF THE NYC FIRE DEPARTMENT BUT SINCE YOUR OBVIOUSLY OBSESSED WITH IT HOPEFULLY YOU CAN SLEEP BETTER TONIGHT WHEN I PROVIDE YOU WITH THE REASONS THERE ARE SO MANY DOUBLE PARKED CARS IN FRONT OF THE FIREHOUSE ON LAFAYETTE STREET THE COUNSELING UNIT FOR THE DEPARTMENT IS LOCATED IN THE BUILDING OUR COUNSELING UNIT IS FOR ACTIVE , RETIRED , AND FAMILY MEMBERS OF ALL OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS THAT GAVE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFRICE FOR THEIR COMMUNITY AND COUNTRY SO NEXT TIME YOU SEE SOMEONE DOUBLE PARKING OR PARKING ON THE STREET WHERE IT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE OR SADLY ANGRY I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU JUST WENT OVER TO THEM AND THANKED THEM FOR THEIR DEDICATION TO THE COMMUNITY OR BETTER YET THANK AND SAY TO THE WIFE , SON , OR DAUGHTER THAT THEIR HUSBAND OR FATHER WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN I THINK ITS TIME FOR YOU TO GET A DIFFERENT HOBBY WHY DONT YOU DEDICATE SOME OF YOUR TIME AT THE THE BOWERY MISSION AND DO SOMETHING GOOD FOR YOUR COMMUNITY MAYBE YOU WILL FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF

tell the city to update their signs. the medical office is in downtown brooklyn and has been for over 8 years now

oh and there's no free parking in brooklyn's medical office either. no exceptions and placards are no good either.

what does that mean brooklyn has no free parking ?

Firefighters are strictly forbidden from parking near headquarters in Brooklyn. There is no official parking, even for official vehicles. I often use the pay lot across Flatbush when I have to make a visit to HQ.

As far as this firehouse goes, the people that work there are less than 1/3 of the problem. Most of the illegal parking is caused by people that do not work in the building. This causes the people that have to park there because they work there to be parked illegally.