Second Avenue Subway Fire Alarms Haven't Worked Since May, Report Says

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Fire alarm systems for the Second Avenue Subway line have been shut down since May and the MTA is instead relying on contracted fire watchers, according to an internal memo first reported by Politico.

An accidental activation of the fire alarm system at the East 86th Street station in May — then just five months after the new subway line opened — triggered the shutdown of the system, Politico reported. The MTA has since worked to reprogram the entire fire alarm system, which may not be complete until December, according to the report.

At the time of the May fire alarm misfire an MTA spokesman told Patch that a faulty alarm had triggered the station's sprinkler system. The resulting water damage forced the MTA to repair escalators at the station's East 83rd Street entrance.

As the MTA works to reprogram the fire alarm system it has relied on contracting fire safety professionals to watch for fires along the subway line, Politico reported. Employing the fire watchers is expected to cost the agency $6.5 million but most of the cost could be covered by contractors, according to the report.

In September the New York Times reported that the Second Avenue Subway was opened before the MTA could finish fire systems testing. More than 17,000 defects found during fire alarms testing at the new Second Avenue stations were still unfixed when the subway line became operational, according to MTA oversight reports for the federal government that were acquired by the New York Times.

Read the full Politico article here.

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