A federal judge has ruled against a New York City plan to deactivate 15,000 fire alarm boxes, saying that doing so would discriminate against the deaf and hearing-impaired.
The fire department last year said the move would save the city $6 million in the first fiscal year. It also said cell phones had substantially reduced the use of alarm boxes and claimed that 85 percent of box calls were false alarms.
The city had proposed an alternate plan using public pay phones combined with a tapping system that would allow deaf callers to signal whether they needed emergency services.
In his ruling, Judge Robert Sweet said public pay phones were unreliable.
Lawyer Jonathan Pines said the city is disappointed with the court’s decision.
Topics Legislation New York
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
A Little Behind Schedule, But Execs Say Sypher Insurance is on Track for May Debut 
Depreciation on ACV Is OK, Court Says in Knocking Down Class Action vs. Cincinnati 
Viewpoint: How Will the Middle East War Affect the Insurance Sector? 
Giuliani Fails to Get $10 Million Sexual Harassment Suit in New York Dismissed 
