8 THE QUEENS COURIER • JUNE 22, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Firefi ghters rescue three workers at construction site
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
in the basement of the building.”
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
Numerous Fire Department units
rushed to the scene, including members
Firefighters frantically worked to
of Rescue Company 4 in Woodside
remove three workers who were trapped
and FDNY EMS Station 8. Nigro said
following a construction accident at an
the paramedics worked quickly to bring
Astoria home on Tuesday aft ernoon.
emergency medicine to the trapped individuals
According to CBS New York, the three
as other fi refi ghters dug through a
workers were injured aft er a crane boom
ton of fallen material to free them.
dropped its heavy load onto a home on
“Our job was to keep the patient comfortable,
28th Street near 31st Avenue at about 3:30
pain free, and alive through the
p.m. on June 20. Th e structure is in the
rescue operation process. Everyone did
midst of a renovation.
a great job and did what they’re supposed
During a press conference at the site,
to do. Th at’s what made this operation
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said
a success. Our training kicks in,” said
that a crane was moving an array of
FDNY Rescue Paramedic Juan Henriquez
building materials when they suddenly
of Station 8 in remarks posted on the
dropped, trapping the workers.
FDNY Facebook account.
“One individual with serious injuries
The three injured workers were
had removed himself from the building,”
removed to Elmhurst Hospital; according
Nigro said. “Another was trapped, and
to the FDNY Twitter account, at least
was removed earlier in the operation. A
one of them is in critical condition, and
third construction worker was trapped
another is in serious condition.
under a few thousand pounds of materials
Th e incident is under investigation.
Formerly homeless New Yorkers will now help
clean and maintain Queens’ Roosevelt Avenue
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @AngelaMatua
Two former homeless New Yorkers
will keep Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson
Heights clean for residents and visitors
thanks to a state grant.
State Senator Jose Peralta announced
on June 16 that a $75,000 state allocation
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will help the nonprofi t Association
of Community Employment Programs
(ACE) give two full-time jobs to men
who struggled with homelessness.
Louis Robertson and Robert Perez
will help sweep streets along Roosevelt
Avenue between 82nd and 90th streets.
Th e men will offi cially begin their jobs
on July 1 and will work from 9 a.m. to
5 p.m.
“Before coming to ACE I’m a 57 year
old man, I’ve been homeless for a while
and I suff er from depressionmy self
esteem was very low,” Perez said. “ACE
gave me that back. I’m now working.
Th ey’ve given me a job, they’ve given
me hope.”
According to Peralta, this span of the
thoroughfare was the only section not
getting regularly cleaned. Robertson and
Perez will sweep streets, remove garbage,
change trash bags from garbage cans and
help shovel snow during the winter.
“Roosevelt Avenue is a main artery
that connects hard-working immigrant
neighborhoods from Corona to Jackson
Heights to Elmhurst and Woodside, and
why not help improve this great avenue
whenever we have an opportunity?”
he said.
Peralta called the opportunity a winwin
situation for Queens, adding, “we
keep our streets clean for our neighbors
and our visitors but at the same time, we
help New Yorkers get back on their feet.”
ACE, a nonprofi t created in 1992,
has helped approximately 2,500 New
Yorkers secure full-time jobs. Th e nonprofi
t runs initiatives such as Adult Basic
Education, a vocational rehabilitation
program, and gives participants access
to aff ordable housing.
Jim Martin, executive director for
ACE, said the organization “prides itself
on helping folks who want help.”
“Th e journey from homelessness to
self sustainability is a long one and we
need as much help as we can to make
that happen citywide,” he said. “Th e allocation
and funds that are being given to
ACE are not only going to keep these
streets clean but will aff ord folks who
partake in our program the ability to
reclaim their lives through training, education
and support.”
Robertson and Perez will work on
Roosevelt Avenue through June 30, 2018.
Robertson, who lives in the Bronx, says
he has worked to help beautify many
corridors around Queens including
Metropolitan Avenue on the Glendale/
Forest Hills border, and streets in Forest
Hills and Jamaica through this program.
He has worked with ACE for three
years and said the nonprofi t has helped
him deal with a changing job market.
Th rough the organization, Robertson
received his Occupational Safety and
Health Administration license and his
Commercial Driver’s License.
“I am truly grateful,” he said. “ACE
employees extend their arm to you. No
doors are locked.”
Photo by Angela Matua/QNS
Louis Robertson and Robert Perez (left) were hired with state funding to clean Roosevelt Avenue.
Photo by Robert Stridiron
Firefi ghters rescue one of the trapped workers at a construction site in Astoria on June 20.
