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First responders tell Greenburgh zoning board tall piles could limit rescues; board keeps record open
Summary
Fire and rescue officials told the ZBA that very tall stockpiles, steep ramps and limited access could complicate aerial and low‑angle rescues; they urged a 24‑ft access loop and explicit emergency‑response requirements that PS&S recommended. The board closed the hearing and kept the written record open to Feb. 10.
First responders told the Town of Greenburgh Zoning Board the town needs clear, enforceable access and rescue provisions before a special permit for Thale Industries is finalized.
"When you put a pile 50 feet in the air, it pushes my aerial farther away from the target," said Eugene, the assistant fire chief from the Elmsler Fire Department, describing limits to aerial and low‑angle rescue reach. He told the board that a 30‑foot pile is generally workable with the department’s equipment but warned that higher localized piles and unstable ramps could hinder safe rescues.
PS&S recommended a 24‑foot‑wide operations loop, emergency‑response plan updates and design features so emergency vehicles can set outriggers and position aerial ladders. "Special condition 18 requires an updated emergency response plan...and it would incorporate that 24‑foot wide access road," Janus Semaan of PS&S told the board.
Several board members and town staff asked that the emergency‑response plan include details first responders need — access points, turning radii, firm outrigger pads and a protocol for site staff to move machinery out of the way promptly during an incident. The firm’s safety consultant described industry practices used to limit risk and recommended joint training opportunities with the fire department to test rescue procedures.
The Zoning Board closed the public hearing and left the written record open through Feb. 10 so PS&S can deliver a final memo and the board can receive follow‑up materials. The board said site‑plan and engineering details — including ramp geometry and precise locations of range poles, gravity blocks and operational loops — will be considered in later technical reviews with town staff and first responders.
Why it matters: rescue access is a direct public‑safety issue; permit conditions that omit practical equipment and access requirements could delay or complicate emergency response in a serious incident.
