On November 17 we opened the city's third police substation at 496 19th Street. This substation is helping our Police Department to stop crime from happening and to address it quickly when it does.
By spring, the Police Department will install surveillance cameras in nine high-crime locations. These cameras give us another weapon against crime. And we are looking for more funding so we can place more cameras throughout the city in the coming months and years.
In March, our Police Department worked with law enforcement agencies from every level of government to launch Operation Niagara Blood Clot. This 15-month investigation led to the indictment of 30 members of the violent Bloods gang and the seizure of dangerous weapons. This was one small victory in a larger struggle against gang violence, and I promise you that we will remain on guard.
Our Roving Anti-Crime (RAC) Unit is clamping down on crime wherever it occurs. Last year, the RAC unit made eight weapons arrests, 27 prostitution arrests, 205 narcotics arrests, and 442 other arrests to improve our neighborhoods and heighten our safety. And due to aggressive enforcement, the number of traffic accidents in our city decreased 25 percent from 2007 to 2009.
I am especially proud that our Police Department finally has the home it deserves. When we opened our new municipal public safety complex last June, on time and under budget, we sent a message that respect for the law is among our city's highest values.
Meanwhile, our Fire Department responded to 5,934 incidents in 2009, and that's a record. While the majority of calls were for medical emergencies, 281 calls were related to fires inside buildings. All but 40 of those fires were inside homes, where the largest loss of life usually occurs. Despite the increased demand, the Fire Department stayed within its budget.
With calls on the rise, we had to make sure our staffing levels were up to par. Fortunately for us, 14 new firefighters graduated from training last year and went to work protecting us. Six of those new firefighters filled vacant positions, but the remaining eight took newly created positions through a grant from the United States Department of Homeland Security.
We also purchased new equipment to help our Fire Department maintain its high standard of service. In the fall, the Fire Department welcomed a new Rosenbauer pumper to its arsenal. With the acquisition of this state-of-the-art equipment, none of our firefighters in the city has to ride outside an engine while responding to a call. If you read Don Glynn's column in the Gazette this morning you know why that's important.
Early last year, we replaced a fire investigation vehicle that was so old it was no longer usable. The new vehicle allows for evidence recovery as well as a climate-controlled space where witnesses can be safely interviewed.
We're also investing in our firefighters by giving them access to important training. Last year, members of the Department attended sessions on radioactive incidents, chemical incidents, rail car incidents, in addition to ongoing state and local training.
After flooding closed down the Royal Avenue Fire Hall, we made the necessary repairs and brought the station back online. This year, we will move forward with long-awaited roof repairs at the 10th Street station, and with long-term planning to ensure we have the right fire stations in the right places and right state of repair for our future fire services.
Despite all of this progress, last year was a year of anguish for the Fire Department and for our community. Three people in Niagara Falls lost their lives due to fires. Another 17 were injured, mostly in their own homes. In response, Chief MacKay has launched a two-pronged fire education and prevention program. Block clubs and volunteers will help the Fire Department to educate residents about how to prevent fires; they'll also help residents assess risks in their homes. And a Post-Fire Safety Response Team will blanket the neighborhood after any major accidental fire. The team will inform neighboring residents about how to avoid similar fires in their own homes. I applaud Chief MacKay and the Fire Department for taking a proactive approach to fire prevention. And I was especially proud of the role the Chief took personally in raising funds for the orphans left behind by the Monteagle tragedy. You're a good man, Chief Mackay.
Please join me in honoring the heroes of our Police and Fire Departments for putting their lives on the line for our health and safety.
The fifth and final goal is to create a green philosophy that makes our city operations more sustainable and environmentally responsible.
Last year, I reported to you that the municipal public safety complex was not originally designed to national green standards. My administration intervened, and I am proud to say that the US Green Building Council has designated the public safety complex with the LEED designation – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Because of these innovations, taxpayers in future generations will pay lower utility costs to operate the building. And our city will have done its part for the environment.
Now, we are working with USA Niagara to earn a LEED certification for this building, the Conference Center. And we will incorporate LEED standards into the design of the new train station. And every other building we create from here on out.
In partnership with the New York Power Authority, we are making the Hyde Park Ice Pavilion more energy-efficient through a series of investments in the facility. I don't want to get ahead of the story, but Richie Kessel from NYPA suggested I learn how to drive a Zamboni machine. I guess we'll have to wait a little while to figure out what that's all about.
And we have created a unique grant and loan program through the NFC Development Corporation to reward businesses that show energy savings of at least 10 percent from investments in greener furnaces, water heaters and other equipment.
I hope that my remarks tonight have given you a sense of how far we've come as a community. Great things are happening, and great challenges remain. We will continue to take pride in the things we've done right. But we will not neglect the many areas that still need to be addressed.
On March 29, 1848, winds from Lake Erie caused an ice formation that created a natural dam at the mouth of the Niagara River. For nearly two days, the Falls didn't thunder. They trickled. An odd silence settled in. But eventually, the flowing waters of Lake Erie broke through the dam, and the Falls started up again. More than 120 years later, the Army Corps of Engineers slowed the flow of the Falls so they could study the rock formations at the peak. In each of those cases – one caused by nature, the other by choice – the power of the Falls was obstructed. But it wasn't stopped. At their weakest moment, the Falls still managed to trickle, until that trickle expanded to a stream, and then to a rush of water and a roar of power.
It's the same for our city. At times, circumstances beyond our control have robbed us of our power. At other times, our own bad choices have held us back. But even in our most desperate times, we couldn't be completely stopped. We may not have roared, but we kept on going. As you know, I'm a big fan of President Obama, and having a chance to meet with him a week ago today at the White House with the U.S. Conference of Mayors was one of the greatest honors of my life. Discussing how the country is struggling to get through the recession, last night in his State of Union address he quoted a small business owner who told him, "none of us are willing to consider even slightly the possibility that we might fail."
Now, in 2010, is the time for Niagara Falls to adopt the motto the President suggested last night for all Americans: "we don't quit." I think that's a great motto for our City for 2010. I'm your mayor, and can tell you one thing about me: I don't quit. I know you won't either. We haven't recovered our full power, but the slow trickle we've kept going even in the depths of recession is steadily expanding. And if we keep pushing, our city will roar once again.
We can make it happen. Together, yes, we can. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless our city.
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