Now that the NYPD seems to be taking Brookfield Properties' lead regarding the occupiers in Zuccotti Park (see: all the tents sprouting like weeds), it's time for another government agency to start making noise, y'know? Enter the FDNY. The Fire Department has "notified the Mayor's Office" that the encampment is a possible fire hazard, especially now that more and more tents are making it harder to see inside the park. The protesters, however, are less worried.
"To say that we aren’t responsible enough to be able to manage a simple butane fire would be deceitful," one protester told CBS 2 (though they aren't even doing that). The FDNY is concerned because the protesters use gasoline-powered generators for their power, which is a fire hazard. But that's about it down there, otherwise Occupy Wall Street has quite carefully managed to make sure to keep flammable materials at bay (well, besides smokes). There are no open flames in the park, all the food is cooked off-site and even the dishwater is brought in already heated.
What happens as it gets colder is another question (winter is coming, after all) but the protesters aren't pretending it isn't. As one puts it: "We’re trying to get fire extinguishers in here. We’re trying to establish a fire brigade. We’d like to create a team of fire brigade members in here and fire watchers and in the event that we do show open flame in here we can talk to the people and have it eliminated as quickly as possible."
