http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2011/10/28/fdny-seizes-occupy-generators-in-safety-sweep/

October 28, 2011

FDNY Seizes 'Occupy' Generators in Safety Sweep

By Jessica Firger

Police and fire officials confiscated five power generators at the Occupy Wall Street camp Friday morning, removing the source of electricity used to light the protesters' kitchen, warm the medical facility and recharge computers.

An announcement made by bullhorn around 7:30 a.m. Friday warned that generators would be taken away and asked protesters to bring them to the entrance of Zuccotti Park, the small plaza in lower Manhattan that has been transformed into an open-air living space.

Of the five generators removed from the encampment, three had been stationed at the protesters' media and information area, one was located at the communal kitchen and one was inside the medical tent. Two of the generators were not use when they were removed Friday.

The generators, sent to the protesters by donors during their six-week occupation of the park,  had been used mostly to power lights and recharge batteries in laptops, phones and other communications equipment. At the medical tent, however, a generator also powered a small heater.

"The temperatures drop and that's when they decide to take the generators," said Marie Fehlig, a member of National Nurses United who volunteers at the medical tent. "We saw 25 cases of hypothermia last night. You can't warm someone up in the elements."

Without the generator, Fehlig said the nurses had switched to propane for heating the tent but faced dwindling supplies. "We'll have to figure out how to get more," she said.

Iana Dikidjieva, a 27-year-old protester, said a fire marshal visited Zuccotti Park on Thursday afternoon to determine if the protesters had enough fire extinguishers onsite. Each group at the camp has at least one extinguisher, Dikidjieva said.

At the Occupy Wall Street kitchen, the generator mostly powered a light since most of the protesters' food arrives onsite already prepared. "It's not like we're trying to blow the place up," said Ronnie Bowen, 53, who works in the kitchen. "We feed people at night in the dark."

Andrew Miller, a 25-year-old protester who said he previously worked as a volunteer fire marshal, said he understood the city's concern over the generators. After talking to police officials Friday, he said organizers were reviewing city codes and hoped the removal of the generators would prove temporary.

"They're just confiscating them until we can provide a safe spot," Miller said.