ARCHIVES OF THE MAYOR'S WEEKLY COLUMN Archives of Rudolph W. Giuliani

City Workers Ensured a Safe and Successful New Year's Celebration

During the holidays, City workers were called upon to rise to two important challenges: the largest snowstorm in the city in five years, and the huge New Year's Eve gathering in Times Square.

As expected, they performed magnificently, clearing our streets of snow, keeping the city safe, and ensuring that the New Year's celebration came off without a hitch. As much as anything else, it's the dedication and professionalism of our City employees that make New York City the envy of every city in the world.

In the wee hours of Saturday, Dec. 30, snow started to fall on the city. New Yorkers love the way snow looks blanketing our lawns and city parks -- particularly around Christmas -- but when the snow starts to fall on our streets and avenues, people change their tune. And that's when New York City calls on its unsung heroes.

The call went out to our Sanitation Workers, to our Police Officers, to our Firefighters, to our Department of Transportation and the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management. It was the biggest storm the city's seen since the January 1996 blizzard. By 6:30 p.m., Central Park was covered with 12 inches of snow.

In those anxious first hours, as the snow came piling down, a lot of people were wondering how New York City would respond to this tremendous challenge. But it wasn't long before we had our answer. The public service professionals of New York City responded like champions, and kept our city going during the emergency. There's an old saying in the military: "The difficult we do immediately. The impossible takes a little longer."

That saying also applies to agencies like our Department of Sanitation, which responded to the storm with an armada of 1,400 plows, 353 salt-spreaders and other equipment to unclog the city's arteries. "New York's Strongest" worked tirelessly in arduous conditions, around the clock with very little rest in between their 12-hour shifts. Then, after clearing Times Square of snow to ready it for the New Year's Eve celebration, they scooped up 35 tons of confetti that had been dropped from buildings to the street to the delight of 700,000 revelers.

Six thousand police officers made sure the world's biggest New Year's bash was safe and festive for everyone to watch Muhammad Ali drop the ball at Times Square. Thanks to "New York's Finest", we begin a new year with crime down 5- or 6-percent over the course of last year, which is an absolutely remarkable achievement.

It may seem strange, but during a snowstorm, one of our greatest dangers is fire. The weather can cause slower response times and hydrants can be hidden beneath mountains of snow. But "New York's Bravest" never faltered. Through the dedication and commitment of 12,000 firefighters and 3,000 EMTs and paramedics, the Fire Department was able to answer 15,290 emergency calls.

The Department of Transportation helped keep our primary emergency routes open by towing hundreds of snowed-in cars that were threatening to block access, and cleared bus stops so our mass transit system could return to service.

The Mayor's Office of Emergency Management at the World Trade Center was the heart of our multi-agency response, and everyone pitched in. We established OEM six years ago to help coordinate City agencies so they can work together and help each other in emergencies, just like this one.

The public servants of our city have proven themselves to be a critical part of the life and spirit of New York. Their commitment to the city has been the foundation of our renaissance. Our historic crime reduction, reform of social services, and record job creation would not have been possible without them and their hard work.

On behalf of all New Yorkers, I would like to thank our city's workers for a job well done. Like Muhammad Ali, they're "The Greatest".